If It Kills Me
by comesatyoufast
Summary: Back in Bon Temps, after seven years of actually living, Adelyn is less than satisfied. Well, she is a drug runner for a certain vampire she hates, and the only person she remembers is the owner of the local bar. Turns out they have some in common. SamOC
1. Chapter One

**Chapter One: **Know Your Enemy

"Hello," I said, approaching the counter at Merlotte's as if I'd been coming here my entire life. I sat in front of the bartender and smiled. I hadn't even been back in Bon Temps in ages, I was like… fifteen last time I was here – shit, that had to be about… seven years ago? Maybe eight. I wasn't sure; I always sucked at math.

The bartender looked at me expectantly, seeming a little surprised, "Anything I can get you?"

"Oh," I said, looking up as if I wasn't paying attention, smiling again, "I'm looking for a Lafayette Reynolds? I was told I could find him here." I said matter-of-factly, my face becoming more serious. People didn't usually take me seriously though, I mean, I seemed like I had no idea what I was doing. Even if that was true most of the time, I was still an awesome problem solver. I know how to get out of things. For example, I knew how to get out of the look with bartender was currently giving me.

"We share a common friend," I said, "He needs me to give him a message. I would just call him," I said, setting my elbow on the bar and leaning my head on my hand, "But we've never actually met before."

"Who are you?" he asked, a little confused, "I don't believe I've ever seen you around here," he walked back to the edge of the bar yelling, "Lafayette, you've got company!"

"Adelyn Brown. Very nice to make your acquaintance." I held out my hand.

"Sam Merlotte," he replied, shaking my hand quickly then pouring another drink for a blonde waitress who had magically appeared behind me, then disappeared just as quickly.

"So, you own this place," I said, looking around, "Impressive." I sighed, and leaned back in my barstool. I was antsy. Then again, I'm always antsy on full-moon nights; that's the downside of shifting. I learned how to handle it, but bouncing only goes so far.

"Lafayette should be out any second," he said, handing a couple beers to another woman who appeared behind me.

"Sweet," I said, looking up at him. I suddenly felt this weird sense of déjà vu. "How long have you been living 'round here?" I asked.

"Oh, man… A long time," he said, "Haven't really been counting."

"You look familiar," I muttered, "Which is weird, because I suck at remembering people."

"Who wants me?" a man appeared from the kitchen.

Sam nodded to me, "This one."

I smiled and turned, "Eric sent me."

His eyes grew so large that I was afraid for a second that they would just pop out of his head. He looked terrified. I was a bit surprised, I never thought I was all that scary, and Eric's nowhere to be found. "Shit," he walked over and grabbed my arm, leading me through the kitchen, "We'll be back, Sam."

Sam nodded and continued working. I was seriously starting to get annoyed – where the hell had I seen him before? I obviously remember him-

"What the fuck do you want?"

"Don't get mad at me," I said, hands up, "I'm in just as much shit as you are. I didn't get shot – Eric really likes telling that story by the way," I laughed a little, "We're both working for the _man_, and I'm here to supply. Eric can't keep sending Pam out to do his dirty work – she's causing too many problems."

"So, why the fuck are you here?" He was leaning forward in a very panicky way. I had to try to calm him down and get him to trust me without acting like some psycho shrink. Another day at the office.

"Jesus! I'm not here to cause trouble. I don't even _want_ to be here. I should be states away from this town. Eric sent me to give you this," I held up a vial of blood, "And to '_offer my assistance'_ - whatever the hell that means."

"You're supposed to help me sell?"

"I'm your connection to Eric. I'm moving in. Right now I live in a motel room, but eventually I'll get more money and I'll work something out." I rolled my eyes and waved off the statement, "I know that talking to Eric is LOW on your to-do list, so I told him that I'd be your contact." I shrugged.

He grabbed he vial, and looked down at me – shit, I was short. He had to be a full head taller than I was. "Why are you offering yourself up to help me – Why the hell are you on such good terms with him after being locked up in his basement?"

He was seriously tall; he was supposed to believe I was protection?

"I was never locked up. I went through a different screening process," I frowned, "It's not something I can explain in the middle of a bar. But I'll tell you. It's no problem. You'd think one would be happier that I'm on their side. Eric's an asshole, everyone knows that much. You can at least thank me."

"Thank you," he said, rolling his eyes, "You understand why someone would be a little frantic when it comes to that cold-ass bastard."

I grinned, "I understand. Here," I handed him a slip of paper, "My cell. Anytime you need to talk, give me a ring. And, no," I shook my head, "I have _not_ had any of his blood. But I know the effects."

He blinked, "Shit, girl. It feels like you've done this before."

"Nope," I smiled, "Just prepared." I turned to leave.

"Now, wait. I'm just supposed to accept that a crazy ass vampire is going to just allow some girl to come in and be his middleman?"

"Yep," I said, "Trust me, I know what I'm doing."

"Forgive me for not really believing that," he said with a sigh, "You're supposed to keep _that_ away from me. Please," he muttered, walking back to the kitchen.

"Give it a chance," I called after him, walking back through the kitchen and into the bar, where a beer was sitting in front of my stool.

I ran a hand through my hair. Jesus, I hated doing Eric's dirty work. I knew though, it'd only be a little while longer. Then I'd be free. I walked over to the bar, "What's this?"

"Your drink," he said.

I blinked and looked up, "I didn't-"

He nodded, "I know. I'm being nice," he said, "Just drink it."

I laughed a little, "Thank you." I took a seat at the bar again and pulled my cell out of my pocket, sitting it on the counter – Eric should call any time now.

"So," he said, "How am I supposed to know you?" he leaned forward a bit, a little confused.

I shrugged, "I dunno. I guess I- wait. I'm remembering something."

"Really?" he asked, obviously amused.

"Yeah. Really," I said, taking a sip of the beer, "Last time I was in here, I was like 15. I was picking up Frank from," I looked around, "Here. Over there. I remember," I pointed to a booth nearest the door.

This was freaking me out. I took a breath and continued, "You were there," I pointed to where he was, "Trying to get him to go. I was ready to drive home."

"You said you were fifteen."

"Yeah," I grinned, "Do you remember? Picture some freaky little skinny girl, about as tall as I am now, crazy ass blonde hair – think that chick over there," I nodded towards the blonde waitress, then played with the end of my hair, "It's gotten darker as I've grown up. I like it this color. Light brown. Nice," I was getting off topic. "Um… I lived with Frank and his wife – shit, I don't even remember her name, for a while. Foster care? Any of this ringing a bell?"

"Nope," he said, grabbing a rag and cleaning out a glass.

"Oh come _on_," I said, rolling my eyes, "I lived here for like a year and a half."

"I don't remember you – and I think I'd remember some kid in my bar."

I sat there for a moment, "Addie? You used to call me that, I think."

He stopped, smiling a little and leaning down, "Addie?" he laughed a little, "Shit, it's… you're so big."

"_Thanks_," I said darkly, taking another sip of my beer, "You must be great with the ladies, Mr. Merlotte."

He rested his arms on the bar and looked at me, "That's not what I meant," he laughed a little, "You're older. You… you don't look like the same girl."

"I'm not," I smiled, "I'm so much cooler. And about… seven years older. People change."

He nodded, "Yep."

I nodded as well, "This place seems pretty much the same though. Not much for redecorating, I take it."

"I like it this way," he said, shrugging. He was watching me, I could tell. I was staring at my phone, spinning it around, kind of, vaguely concentrating on the bar.

"I can see why," it was nice, homey, in a way. Comfortable.

We were quiet for a second. This was more… awkward than it really should be. I guessed it was partially because of the fact that I was actually drinking, something that I never used to do at Merlotte's (I didn't always break the law) I looked up at him, after he hadn't said anything for a few minutes, "What?"

"I," he took a breath, "I can't believe it's you."

"You've said that," I chuckled a little, "I look good right?"

He laughed, "More confident too, I see," he rolled his eyes.

"I was just shy," I shrugged, "I got over it. Besides, I had the most gigantic crush on you when you moved here. You must have known that."

"Nope," he said, smiling to himself, "Not a clue."

"Well then," I said, "You're oblivious."

"And you've got great taste," he said.

"Two more, please, Sam," the blonde waitress appeared next to me again, and my phone vibrated on the counter.

I wasn't paying attention, and Sam pointed, "Addie."

I blinked, "Man, no one's called me that in a while," I looked up at him, "Thanks," my phone kept vibrating, Eric's name flashing up on it, "Excuse me."

"Whaaat?" I sighed into the phone, "I've already talked to him. He's terrified of you."

"Where are you?" he asked.

"The bar. Merlotte's." It was insane. Everything was coming back. The times I'd come down to the bar to pick up a drunken Frank. I'd sit at the bar and wait for him to come to his senses.

I totally forgot about Sam. I giggled a little bit. I thought he was so… I didn't even know the word. I was such a weird child.

Thankfully, that whole painfully awkward stage of my life was over.

"Still?"

"Yep! I forgot how much I liked small towns. Oh, wait a sec," I set the phone down next to me and said, suddenly very excited, "Hey, Merlotte," Sam turned back to face me and smiled, "Which one of these people is Sookie Stackhouse?"

"Um, she is," he said, pointing at the blonde waitress next to me, who was looking at me like I was insane, and then I saw a flash of recognition

I ignored her for the time being, "And for the record," I looked at Sam, "You used to be much cuter."

He rolled his eyes, and I turned to Sookie, "Sorry. I'm not creepy." Eric on the other hand, _so_ was.

"Um, hey," I picked the phone back up, "Just a little FYI, I think she knows everything now. Well, I mean it probably wasn't all that hard to put together, you're so… "

"Disgusting," Sookie supplied, turning away with her two beers. I laughed, Eric did not.

"That was unnecessary."

"I know. You can't blame me for being curious. I mean, she doesn't know why I'm here. So, everything's good."

He didn't respond, "Did you give Lafayette the package?"

"Yes. And I must say, once again, that I think this whole thing is disgusting. Swapping blood? Ew. I'm so fucking glad I'm not a vampire," I muttered that last part.

"I've got to go. Get yourself settled in."

"Yes sir."

"Goodbye, Adelyn."

I looked up at Sam, who was looking back down at me, his eyebrows raised in an incredibly cocky manner, "Talk to you later, Eric," I muttered quietly, shutting my phone, and taking another drink. I was lying, just a tad, I mean, he looked just about the same. His hair was a bit longer, but, really, he looked the same. "What?"

"Who were you talking to?" he asked.

I, for some reason, wasn't expecting that question, "None of your business."

"My bar," he said, "My business."

He had me there. I looked at him for a moment before answering, "My boss."

"You _work_ for _Eric Northman_?" He laughed, "Oh shit, Addie. How the hell did you end up with that?"

"How the fuck did you know that?" I practically yelled.

He laughed some more, shaking his head and resting his arms on the bar next to me, leaning over to whisper in my ear, "You talk _really_ loud."

"Oh shut up," I said, pushing him aside and taking another drink of my beer, "Really. How'd you know?"

"I talked with him a few months ago. Has a thing for Sookie. I heard the words 'Eric and 'vampire.'"

I nodded, "That's very clever, Merlotte."

"Shit," he said, "How could you work for a vampire? Isn't that a little…"

"Creepy? Hell yes. I hate Eric. Can't stand him. But you would _not_ believe the money one gets working days for a vampire."

"Really?" he asked.

"No. The money sucks, too. I owe the man."

"If you ask me-"

"I didn't," I said seriously, "I'd better go, actually." I had the feeling that the more I drank the more attractive Sam started to appear. That little smirk thing he had going on was going to drive me insane.

"Already?" he asked, "I mean, we have… what? Seven years of catching up to do?"

"Yeah. That sounds about right. But tonight, I need rest. I'll be back."

He nodded, "Okay." He shrugged.

I needed to go. I didn't know I was so easily affected by alcohol. That little scruff on his chin, his hair, his voice, hell, I even thought his shirt was incredibly-

Ugh. I _needed_ to go.

I swirled out of my stool and nodded to Sam, who smiled back at me, which made me smile back – because I had _obviously_ flipped on my internal 'act-like-a-moron-switch.' On my way out the door I looked over at Sookie, who was watching me like I was infected with some deadly virus she was hell-bent on not catching, and thought, as loud as I could, 'Hey, Sookie. Just so you know, I'm pulling for this Bill guy, and I haven't even met him yet. Oh, but I expect that will be happening soon, Eric mentioned he was dropping in. But, it's cool, I've got your back.'

I doubted she trusted me, but I still felt better.

"Oh, shit," I said, spinning around and making my way to the back, "Lafayette?"

"Yes, ma'am?" he said expectantly.

"When do you get off? I've gotta come back tomorrow."

"Midnight. Now, shoo. I've got work to do."

I nodded and left. Tomorrow was _really_ gonna suck.

Pun intended.

* * *

**Reviews are greatly appreciated, whether you loved it or not.**

**See you next chapter? Let's hope so.**


	2. Chapter Two

**Hey guys. Here's chapter three. Author's note at the end as a little update! I'm working very hard for you guys, so AS ALWAYS, I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

**Reviews**

**Kathy: **I KNOW! I love Sam, oh-so much, and was SHOCKED when I got on here to find like, two Sam fics. I really hope this helps. :D Oh, and thanks!

**Thebloodrose:** Thank you so much, I hope you think this is a really good second chapter!

**ShadesofShae:** Let's ditto the above. :]

* * *

**Chapter Two: **Shut Up and Let Me Go.

"Twenty," I said, "You are going to have to pay me twenty dollars." I glanced back over at the man, who had to have been staring at me for the past fifteen minutes.

"I'm not paying you twenty dollars for something you would do anyway," Sam shook his head, "No way."

He stood up, and started the walk over, "He's _really_ cute, Merlotte. I could so easily-"

"Thirty. I will give you thirty dollars."

"Sold."

"Hey, baby," the blonde said, leaning against the bar and turning his head to look at me, "How is it that I have never seen you before?"

"I'm gay," I said, "Now shoo." I couldn't help but smile at him, after all, he was cute – in a way I didn't really know how to describe, but I was even more intrigued by the way he was currently studying me, as if he didn't believe it was true. He had a good eye.

He frowned, and looked back at his table, he stood there for a second, obviously embarrassed, "Okay then," he swung around and walked away.

I held out my hand, "I want my money." Sam was currently biting so hard down on his lower lip that I thought he was going to hurt himself, and then suddenly exploded with laughter, rummaging through his pockets.

"You deserve it," he said, slapping the money into my open hand, "That was hilarious."

"I'm glad you feel that way – _Damn_. You made me turn that _down?_" I said, my voice shooting up an octave, "I'm twenty-three years old, and I haven't gotten laid in-"

"_Hey!_," Sam said, "I do not need to hear the end of this sentence." He kept chuckling.

I looked up at him, frowning, "Hey yourself. Once again, twenty-three," I smiled, giggling to myself, "I'm not fifteen anymore."

He smiled, "I know. Trust me, I know."

I raised my eyebrows, "Oh, this is interesting," I giggled, "What's that supposed to mean?"

His head was down, and he peered through his hair, "I have _eyes_," he chuckled, "I can see you're not fifteen."

"But you didn't say it _logically_," I leaned forward a bit, "You said it all," what was another word for sexy? "Non-logically. Like there was a story behind it." I was a loser.

He leaned forward, next to me again, "That guy who came up here earlier, that's Jason Stackhouse."

"Sookie-"

"Her brother, yeah," he said, "Now, that beer in his hand, is his second beer of the night."

"So?" I said, looking at Sam curiously. He was so close; he _had_ to realize how close he was.

"He doesn't loose his standards until beer five," he smiled.

"How high are his standards?"

"Pretty damn high," he said, leaning back to make another drink.

I smiled, looking over at him. He was pretty damn cute, not really my type though. I preferred – well, I didn't really know what I preferred.

"He seemed so disappointed. I almost feel bad."

I smoothed out the front of my T-shirt as Sam continued laughing, until he finally choked out, "Don't. Sookie is gonna die when she hears you actually did that."

"Where is she, anyway?" I asked, "I kind of wanted to talk to her. I don't really think she received a good first impression of me," I frowned a little, "Are you going to give me another beer, or am I going to have to wait for a waitress to come up here?"

"Sorry," he said, grabbing one quickly, "She'll love you, just wait. I can't believe you two didn't know each other when you used to live down here."

I shrugged, "I was a loner." Not to mention the fact that I spent most of my free-time in the form of my neighbor's dog, Daisy.

"I think you're overreacting. It's not like you're _friends_ with Eric or anything, right?"

"No," I said, "More like acquaintances." He smiled. I smiled back.

My phone decided that this would be a good time to start buzzing obnoxiously in my pocket, and I pulled it out. "Layfayette?" I said, a little shocked, "Hello? Is everything okay?"

He, apparently along with Sookie, had the night off.

"I need you at my house, as soon as you fuckin' can be," he said.

"Why? What's wrong?" I said, "I told-"

"That vampire bitch is in my window."

"Vampire…" I searched me head, "You mean Pam? Pam is at your house?"

"How the fuck am I supposed to know her name?" he asked, seeming incredibly irritated.

"That bitch," I said, standing up and contemplating whether or not to down the rest of my beer before I left – I opted that this is not a good idea, "She's fucking crazy. I- Ugh, I've gotta go. I'll find out where you live and be there in ten."

"Make it five."

"I'll try," I turned off my phone and looked at Sam, "I've gotta go."

"How are you so busy?"

"I'm a busy girl. You'd better appreciate the time you have with me," I said jokingly, biting my lip before asking, "Where does Layfayette live?"

He rested his hands on the bar, and turned his head to the side, "I'm pretty stupid for talking to you, aren't I?"

I shrugged, "I guess it depends all on how the future of this little friendship turns out. I'm hoping for the best. Now, I seriously need to know where Lafayette lives. It's a matter of… well, if he doesn't let her in, she's not going to kill him, but there's an extremely pissy vampire at his house right now and if I don't get down there and threaten her with a nicely placed phone call, she's going to fuck me over."

"You used to be so innocent," he said sourly, frowning a bit, "Here's the address," he grabbed a pen and scribbled something down on a piece of paper, "Take a left, then go on until you hit this big tree that looks like," he paused for a second, looking up as if searching for a better word, "the tree of life from the Lion King-"

"Love the Lion King."

He laughed for a second, but just kept on going, "Go right. Then it's a straight shoot to Lafayette's, I take it it'll be the house with the vampire in front of it." He looked at me, "Be careful."

"What are you, my dad?" I said, leaning forward, and patting him on the shoulder, "I'd invite you along, but you have to get back to _your_ job." I smiled, "Bye, Merlotte." I ran out the door and jumped into my truck.

I stomped on the gas and flipped open my cell phone, pressing a couple buttons until it started ringing, "Lafayette?"

"Where the fuck are you! She's still here, uh-"

"Adelyn," I said again rolling my eyes a bit, "Just, try to ignore her. I'm," I took a breath, "I'm really sorry about all this. It's kind of my fault she's there. She was told to stay away-"

"That fucking worked," he muttered.

"I know," I said dryly, "But, she's not going anywhere."

He was quiet for a second, "Okay. Okay," he said, "I'll- try. You're still on your way?"

"Got directions from your boss," I said, "I'm almost there."

"Wait. Sam knows you're comin' here? Aw, shit," he muttered, along with some more things I couldn't really understand.

I rolled my eyes, "Of course he knows- he's the only person I know in this entire town. Besides you, and honestly, I'm a little wary of anyone who's connection to me comes through the undead."

"If I get-"

"Sam wouldn't fire you," I said, "He's not stupid." I could help but smile a little as I said his name, "'Sides, he does _not_ know what you do, why you do it, and who you do it for. Well, he knows Eric's involved. Honestly, I'm a little surprised he even knows who Eric _is_."

Lafayette didn't say anything, "I've always kinda thought Sam knew more than he let on," Lafayette muttered, "How the hell do you know him anyway?"

"Oh, I see ol' Pammy," I stopped the truck a bit back from Lafayette's house, "You have a back door or something?"

"I've got a window- can't you just come in through the front?"

"Well, I could, but… That's not a good idea. Trust me. I- I have to take some overly drastic measures to avoid running into Pam."

"Why-"

"I'll explain once I'm inside. Now. Listen to me very, very carefully. Remember how earlier I told you I wasn't locked up? That I had a-"

"Different screening process," he said, "I remember." He sounded a bit annoyed.

"Well, you're going to see why," I swallowed, "I will be entering from the back, now, no matter what you see enter, no matter _what_, if anything gets by that door, close it after it's through. Do you understand?"

"What-"

"Do you understand? I'm going to try to bring my things – how big is your window?"

"It's about a couple feet both ways. Couple feet off the damn ground, now what the hell are you going to be bringing into my house-"

"Lafayette, please, just trust me. It's the only way I'm getting there quick enough. Move what you can in front of the window, I'll be in fast."

"Okay."

"Okay," I've gotta go, you open that window, and be ready to shut it."

I turned off my phone, and stuck it in my bag, along with a few other things found around the car, then got out and pulled off my shirt and my bra, throwing them into the bag, taking off my shoes and socks, putting them into my bag, then my jeans, then my underwear. I shuddered a bit – it was surprisingly cold – and threw the bag across my chest. Then I shifted.

I shook myself out a bit. I wondered if I could jump into his window in this state – I wasn't sure how high foxes could jump anyway. I gave it a shot, and nearly hit my head on the truck's rearview mirror. Shit, I needed to be careful.

I started the walk, going around the outside, trying to keep myself out of Pam's senses, once I was sure she didn't see or hear or smell me at all, I broke out into a run, dodging the trees around me like I was in some sort of video game, stopping once I saw Lafayette's head poking out of the window, something colorful wrapped around it. I walked around the back and growled a little – he darted back inside. I smiled.

I thought I should get a running start, so I moved back all the way to the trees, and then ran forward so fast until everything around me was just a blur, then I jumped. It was fucking scary as hell, for a split second I was positive I was going to collide with the wall – thankfully that did not occur.

I was in Lafayette's… bathroom, which was cleaner than I had imagined, and I looked up, at Lafayette, who was staring at me like I was a hallucination. I tried to keep my footing without falling over, paws making a scuttling sound on the linoleum floor. I tried to nod towards the window, and he walked over and shut it. I shrugged off my bag, and opened it up, trying to convey that I needed to get dressed – he didn't get the message. He just kept staring at me, eyes wide, jaw slack.

I looked up and around, jumping into his shower, and tugging the curtain closed before shifting back, "If you won't _mind_," I said, "I would enjoy wearing clothes while calling Eric."

He looked at me, "Why-"

"Lafayette. Leave your bathroom." I closed my eyes, my head was pounding from embarrassment. I hated shifting in front of people. Maybe it was because this was the one thing I had to keep secret from everyone, and letting someone in on it made it just that much more possible that everyone would find out what I really am – not that I had a problem with shifting. I liked it. I just hated having to lie.

"Fine," he said, turning around and walking out, "Crazy bitch." If that was his new name for me, I was really going to hate hanging out with him.

I rolled my eyes, and stepped out, changing quickly. I grabbed my cell out of by bag, and toted my things into the living room, tossing the bag by the door.

"What _the fuck_ was that?" he asked, "You just jumped through my window as a fucking dog!"

"I _am not_ a dog," I said bluntly, "It was a fox. I stopped with domesticated animals when I was in my teens," I rolled my eyes, "Please."

"What are you?" he asked, looking at me with an intense curiosity I had not expected. He didn't really seem scared, probably because he knew I wasn't going to do anything.

Then again, it was still very unexpected, "A-"

"Shape-shifter," Pam supplied, leaning forward against the glass, "I didn't think that you'd give up your dirty little secret so soon. It's a little disappointing, really."

"Oh _shut up_," I said. I didn't actually think she could, "Yeah. I'm absolutely nothing like that thing over there," I nodded over to Pam, standing in front of the window with an overly-smug countenance. "I do exactly what you think I do. No special little tricks. No more, no less. And, I'd appreciate it if you didn't let anyone know about this." I looked at him seriously.

Pam laughed, "Oh, come on, it's not like you're anything special. You do no damage whatsoever-"

"I could sneak past you, couldn't I?" I smiled, "We're calling Eric. Well, I'm calling Eric."

"Not like he can do anything. He left. Don't you know that? I'm in charge until the sheriff gets back."

"He would never put you in charge of me."

"But he did."

I dialed, "What the fuck were you thinking?"

"You've talked to Pam?" Eric mused from his side of the phone, I looked over at Lafayette, who seemed freaked out to even know that he was in earshot from a technological standpoint.

"You could not have put that-"

"I didn't."

"What?" I asked, looking over at Pam, "She seems pretty confident that you did. Am I in charge of myself?"

He laughed, "That is something I would never do. I told Bill Compton to keep an eye on you. It'd be easy, seeing as he lives down there as well. You'll still report to me, just go to him-"

"In case we have any Pam-related problems?"

"Or problems in general. Honestly, Pam should really be a good ally to have."

"Whatever," I looked at Lafayette, "Listen, I've got to go, you've gotta call Pam and tell her to get the fuck off of Lafayette's property."

He hung up, no goodbye, of course, and I leaned back against the wall, sliding down into a seated position on the floor, my knees to my chest. I turned my head to the side and waited for Pam to pull out her cell, which she did, her face souring almost immediately.

She didn't leave, and I hadn't really expected her to. Eric would have given her a good old-fashioned talking-to, but he could not really make her leave. Her will was much too strong. I don't really understand why it is she dislikes me so, but I know that whatever the real reason may be, it wasn't something easily dissolved over the phone with a totally blind third party.

Pam looked over at me, incredibly disgruntled, much to my satisfaction. Lafayette made a noise, a weird snapping-whine combination that made me look up in confusion, "What?"

"What the fuck just happened?" he shouted, obviously keeping this pent up for the past few minutes was really getting to him. I frowned.

"What do you mean?"

He walked back a little, hands making their way up to his head, then back to his sides as he stared at me. I felt small, not scared, just small. "What do you _think_ I mean?" he demanded, "You're not-"

"Listen," I said, looking up with weary eyes, "I know it's a lot to take in. Honestly, though, what do you expect me to say?"

He rolled his eyes, "I don't fucking know, but you better say something damn quick."

"I used to live here. That's how I know your boss."

He turned back, I'd stolen back his interest. I glanced over at Pam, who wasn't as disillusioned by my confession as Lafayette. She didn't care about where I used to live, or who I used to associate with, and I could see her mind wander as Lafayette smirked, "Really?"

"Yep," I nodded, "Skipped town when I was sixteen – don't tell him that though, he doesn't know."

"I'm guessing he doesn't know a lot," Lafayette muttered, he was pacing, I wondered if it was because of me. It was a tad selfish, I think, to suggest such a thing, but I was, as of now, an important part of this man's life – the one thing currently stopping him from freaking out over the possibility of being someone's midnight snack.

"He doesn't," I smiled a little, "Sit down, you're going to fuck up your heart rate."

"I'm fine," he snapped, I just nodded. I'm guessing he normally wasn't so moody, or hyper. Vampire blood has that sort of affect on humans, it's like it finds this dial within you, and turns your inner volume all the way up. Everything's overly exaggerated, from your sense of smell to your libido to your emotional reactions. "How did you know Sam? He's-"

"Older than me? Well, he's not that much older, I'm twenty-three-"

"For real?" he asked, looking at me with some surprise, "I would have said twenty one. Tops."

I raised my eyebrows, "I get that a lot."

"You never answered my question," he said after a second, like he was digesting what I was saying.

I nodded, "Right. Well, I used to hit the bar some nights to pick up my foster father."

"Anyone I know?"

"Not anyone you'd care about."

He just nodded. I guess he understood exactly what I meant.

"You turned down Jason Stackhouse," he said randomly, and I looked up with a quirked eyebrow.

"Who?" I asked, looking at him inquisitively.

He turned and smirked, head moving to the side. I could tell his mind was speeding forward at full force, and once again advised him to sit down. He complied. "The blonde hunk of testosterone that you – for some reason – would not entertain. I don't get it," he shook his head, "That boy is-"

"Not my type, really. And, more importantly, I'm not here to fuck, I'm here to watch you."

"Like a babysitter," he smirked, as if this was supposed to _get me_ somehow.

"Exactly like a babysitter."

"Babysitters have their boyfriends over all the time," he said, nodding his head a bit.

Pam snorted behind the window. I shot her glance, "Find something amusing?'

"The concept of you _mating_ is amusing, yes," she smiled, I felt my stomach lurch. I didn't think it was possible to dislike someone so… _much_. If Eric could ever, in a million years think that the two of us were similar, he's obviously let his mind go over the last thousand years.

"Fuck you," I said loudly, "And you too," I nodded to Lafayette, "Just because I don't want to _mate_," I sneered in the direction of Pam, "With him, doesn't mean anything."

"It means everything."

"Why would I want to touch something related to that Sookie girl, anyway? Anything Eric wants, I want to stay the hell away from."

He laughed a little, "Then hanging around Sam probably isn't your best bet, sweetie."

I looked back over at him, tearing my eyes away from the TV set, where I had decided it was best to rest my glance, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It _means_," he said, straightening himself up in his chair. I brought my legs out in front of me, stretching them out to see how far they would go. He watched me for a second, as I tried to feign my interest, before he said, "Sam's had a thing for Sookie since the second she walked into that bar and asked for a job."

"Wouldn't she know that?" was the first thing that popped into my head.

"She does," he rolled his eyes a bit, "But she's with that vampire."

"Bill," I said, "I've heard about him." I haven't heard anything good. My sources have stated that he's irresponsible, easily affected by his emotions, and to top it all off – highly annoying. Then again, Eric has his reasons to dislike Bill, so I didn't really know what to believe. Honestly, those traits he applied to Bill sound a hell of lot like me.

"Nice guy," he said, "A little uptight, but," he shrugged, not completing his sentence.

"Hm," I said, "So… Sam's got a thing for Sookie." I sighed. Does _everyone_ in this town have a thing for Sookie? I was beginning to think so.

"Don't worry, he'd be blind to not have a thing for you, too," he smiled, "You're a cute lil' thing." He eyed me up and down, and I could feel myself grow a little uncomfortable. Not that I would disagree – I am a cute lil' thing.

Pam snorted again. "Please."

"Will you leave?" I said, "Eric is really just shortening my sentence every second I have to stay with you." Lafayette laughed, he was apparently tired, I could tell. Pam was wide awake though, and each time I looked over at her, he once again became aware that she was there, and was wide awake again, slightly terrified, and begging for conversation. So I obliged. "I don't have a thing for Merlotte, by the way." I leaned forward a bit, touching my right hand to the top of my sneaker, "I _did_; he's rather charming, and my little fifteen year old heart just couldn't stand it," I grinned, fanning myself jokingly, to which Lafayette smiled.

He nodded, "There's though damn jeans too," he shook his head, "Just about every woman in this damn town gotta acknowledge them jeans. It's weird that he doesn't seem to notice."

"He knows," I said, "That's why he wears them every day." I shrugged, "I sure as hell would."'

"You've talked to him about it?" he asked.

"Nope. I'm just smarter than the average bear," I shrugged again, looking over at Pam, who was looking at me oddly.

It didn't take long for our conversation to become so dull and pointless that Lafayette had fallen asleep. I couldn't, though. My mind was flickering through my life like a movie, and I was just sitting against that wall and watching it.

I'd moved in when I was twelve, just mere weeks away from actually being thirteen. It was almost summer, that awkward stage at the end of May, where everything outside screamed summer, but the calendar kept reminding you it was spring. The weird thing about almost being a teenager is that everything you do seems like it's this big step towards a new life. The thing is, there's something really terrifying about change, no matter what age you were. The things that aren't familiar are always going to be the scariest. I didn't get the chance to really be afraid though, all those thoughts I had about things changing was just intuition, nothing to really grasp onto.

I don't really remember much of the first summer I got there _besides_ the whole shifting thing. I was outside one night, all alone, on the swing in the backyard. I didn't feel well, weird, really, it was something I'd never really felt before. Then before I knew it, I exploded. I was thrust into this situation, this new life, against my own will, and I had to deal with it the best I could with what I had. I never had the time to be afraid, and I didn't really have anyone to share my secret, not anymore.

But I was strong, and I was independent.

I learned to keep it quiet. Mom had always told me what I was going to do, what was going to happen, how I needed to react. I never really believed that any of this was going to happen, but it did, and remember spending my moon-lit nights as Daisy the dog.

I spent a ton of time around that bar, human and not. It was the only place I knew I could go where no one would recognize me – or Daisy.

But that's it. That's all the comes to mind when I think about what all happened back then.

I sighed, leaning my head back against the wall. It was so late. Outside, the night had gotten to that point where everything was so dark, that it almost seemed normal, like it was always going to be that way, and thinking that it was going to change was something unbelievable.

But, before I knew it, the day had come. Pam was gone, and I had fallen asleep curled against myself, leaning on Lafayette's wall.

* * *

**Okay, guys. I'm really excited to know what you all think. This chap wasn't amazing, but it was pretty good. :P Some interesting stuff is coming up, and I hope you all decide to stick around and read it!**

**Reviews are the coolest thing since slice bread.**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE/UPDATE!**

**Okay. Call me crazy - seriously, call me crazy, because I feel a bit insane. Am I the only person out there who doesn't care who ends up with Sookie? Does this make me a bad person? I mean, Sookie's okay, but I couldn't care less if she ends up with Bill or Eric - because I think she'd be good with both. I like Bill more (A lot more) but this doesn't affect my view of who should be shipped with Sookie - because I don't care. And besides, I'm a total Sam freak, the Bill and Eric debate doesn't really apply to me. ;P**

**Do you agree? Disagree? Disagree, but formally respect my opinion? I'd like to know. :]**

**OH! And, for those of you who read my other stories, "I Will…" is currently being worked on (I've written the chap, but I'm re-writing it due to some ideas I've gotten). And, UTG is also being worked on, so expect it after the "I Will…" sometime in the near future. I'm not as worried about it, since it's already so far along. Maybe even after chapter three of this, seeing as I can't STOP having ideas for this story (It could be my personal preference to Sam, or my amazing ability to pull plot out of nowhere.)**

**Thanks for reading! :)**


	3. Chapter Three

**YO! Here's chapter three. Enjoy. :]**

* * *

**Reviews:**

**Thebloodrose: **You're welcome. Here's some more. :]

* * *

**Chapter Three: **Obvious.

"Oh, please come on. I'm not dragging you inside. Where is your dignity?" I questioned, pulling my keys out of the ignition and nudging Lafayette awake _again_. It was about a quarter 'till four, I'd beaten the waitresses getting here.

I stepped outside, trying to get a view of myself in the car's rearview mirror. Lafayette chose my outfit this afternoon – one of the ways I got him to actually leave the house. The thought of that idea is actually a hell of a lot scarier than the reality. He threw me a pair of jean shorts, and my yellow and black plaid shirt and said, "Here. Wear these."

I don't even know why he wanted to do it. It's not like I had an amazing wardrobe as I lived out of my car.

I grabbed Lafayette's arm and yanked him out of the car, dragging him inside.

"Why don't we just head back to my place. I didn't sleep at all last night – how the hell am I supposed to cook?"

I tugged, "I don't," Lafayette groaned, "_Care_ how late you were up last night. I was up later. Oh," I turned around, and in my best impersonation of Lafayette said, "Thank you so _much_, sweetie, for kicking that vampire bitch out my window."

He smiled, "I don't fucking sound like that."

"Says you," I yawned, trying to rub the sleep out of my eyes. I jumped up onto the bar, "I don't think she's coming back. Eric's heading back down here tonight, I'm supposed to be meeting Mr. Compton. I don't really know _why_," I shrugged a bit, bangs bouncing in front of my eyes, "It's not like Eric wants us to be buddies. It's not like I want to be buddies."

"Why not?" he asked, "Bill's not bad, creepy as fuck like the rest of 'em, but not _bad_."

"I'm not really fond of vampires, Lafayette."

"Huh," he said, walking over and standing in front of me, smirking, "So you're afraid of vampires. Fucking knew it," he muttered, "Ain't no way some tiny bitch supposed to protect me from a seven foot tall fucker who would rather kill me than not?"

"I never said _protect_," I smiled, "Just… allay your fears."

"That's great," he laughed.

"I'm not afraid of Eric. Wary, yes, but not afraid. Vampires don't hurt you if you fraternize with vampires. That's the trick," I leaned forward and tapped Lafayette on the nose, "They don't want you to know that."

"How long have you been with vampires?"

I sighed, "Not too long. Moved when I was sixteen, so ever since I was about seventeen. I've only gotten along with one vamp my entire life. And I haven't seen him in years, so…"

"Huh," he said, "You fuck him?"

I heard a cough, but it was quiet, I glanced at Lafayette, to see if he heard it, but he didn't move, just waited patiently for my reply. "Of course not. That would be seriously fucked up of me."

He nodded, understanding what I meant. At least I think he understood. I jumped down, walking around to look over at Sam's office, "You eavesdropping, Merlotte?"

Lafayette answered before he did, which was probably good, because he looked extremely uncomfortable. I felt a little bad, and walked over to him as Lafayette said, "I'm early."

"By like, ten minutes," I muttered, smiling at Sam as I fixed the collar of his shirt and brushed off his shoulder, "You look exhausted," I muttered, leaning against the wall and looking up at him.

"Rough night," he shrugged, and I couldn't help but think how cute he looked when he was tired, "Nice outfit."

"You think so?" I said, looking down, "I look like the girl version of you." I didn't realize this until now, as Sam was wearing a red and black plaid shirt and jeans – of course.

Lafayette laughed, "Shit. You do." I looked over at him, and he winked. He did that on purpose.

The sad thing is that this is my favorite shirt.

Lafayette was right. I did have a little thing for Sam – but it's not like I was going to do anything. Sooner or later, I'm leaving Bon Temps, and most definitely not going back to Dallas. I don't know where I'll go, really, just away. I didn't _like_ liking Sam. It was… scary really. Too familiar. The last time I felt this way about somebody I never saw him again. Maybe it's just bad luck, really, that every single time I care about somebody it all goes to hell.

Okay, that was an overstatement.

I was being melodramatic. I blinked and looked at Lafayette, who moved over and rested his arm on my shoulder, "I figured, since Tara isn't coming in today-"

"Tara's not coming in today?" Sam asked, exasperated.

"Nah," Lafayette said, "But we've got an extremely capable woman right here," he pointed at my head, "Who could fill her place."

"Excuse me?" I asked, "Since when did I say I was available- I'm supposed to meet with Bill tonight. If I bail on Eric he will be _pissed_, and I'd love to avoid that."

"You can head out with Sook after the shift," Lafayette said.

I looked up at him, "I don't think she likes me."

"She doesn't," Sam said, "Don't know _why_," he nudged me walking over to the bar, pulling me along with him and out from under Lafayette's arm.

"Me neither!" I said, "I'm a perfectly good person. It's not like I'm here to steal her boyfriend, or take her job, or hurt anyone," I shrugged, "I just happen to work for the most impossible man on the planet. It's sad, really. She should feel sorry for me."

"You know," Sam said, "I bet if you guys would talk, you'd like each other. You don't have much in common or anything," he laughed.

"Whatever," I muttered, looking back over at Lafayette, "Do you _want_ me to stay? I'm sure Eric would have no problem if you want me here because you're afraid the big scary vampires are gonna get you," I smirked. It's not like Pam's all that scary, mean as hell, but not scary. Sam gave me a glance, he was obviously confused every time I talk about my job. I wished, a little half-heartedly that I could just _tell_ him why I do what I do, but that would involve so much explanation. Shifting, Godric, Pam – it's all just too much.

"Shut the fuck up," he said, glaring at me, "I was just gonna get you some extra cash, boys 'round here would eat you up. But if you don't want more money, that's your problem."

I frowned, "Thanks, Lafayette. That's nice of you."

"You're fucking right," he muttered, walking back into the kitchen as the waitresses came in.

"Mornin' girls," Sam said, and I sat at the bar, nodding at Arlene and Sookie.

"Hey Sam," they chorused, Arlene walking up next to me, muttering a quick hello before talking to Sam, "I've gotta go just a little early today," she said, "The sitter can't stay until midnight tonight, it'll only be about an hour early. I'm so sorry, Sam-"

"It's fine," he said, "Don't worry about it. We've got some back up tonight." Arlene looked puzzled and Sam looked at me, "You're hired."

"I'm not _asking_ to be hired," I said, "And what gives you the idea that I even know how to bartend?"

"How'd you know I was going to ask you to bartend?"

"You and I both know I would be a supremely shitty waitress, Merlotte."

"Exactly," he said, smiling, "And it's just a hunch."

"I worked at a club back in Dallas," I smiled, "Bartender."

"That's what I'm fucking talking about," he grinned, "Come on," he waved me behind the bar, "We're opening now."

"Oh," I said, running around and standing behind the bar, glancing over at him, "Let's get this party started."

I hadn't done this in over a year – Dallas seems like decades ago, really – but making drinks is like riding a bike. I was shoving bills into my back pocket every ten minutes, Sam was in shock, "How the _hell_ are you making so much money?" he asked, and I didn't reply, just let him watch as I flirted with the man sitting in front of me, and the drunken bastard actually slipped me a ten. As he slugged off his stool, red eyes darting from my chest to the door then back again, round body leaving the bar, I turned to Sam. His jaw was dropped, and he leaned against the bar, "I disapprove of this, for the record." He smiled after he said it, and I

I grinned, looking over my ten dollars at him, "God gave me boobs for a reason, Sam."

"Sam and boobs, same sentence," he went back to drying a glass, "You realize that's the first time you've used my first name since you've been in town?"

"Hey, Adelyn?" I spun around at the sound, Sookie stood before me.

"Yo," I said, "It is, isn't it?" I looked over at Sam, "Maybe the cash flow is affecting my head." I stuck out my bill, and he grabbed it from my hand.

"I'm really getting sick of all this confidence," he laughed, "If that's what you insist on calling it."

"I do," I smiled, grabbing the money back from him, "I don't like your interest in my job. Don't make that face." He raised an eyebrow. "Eric's none of your business, and it," I stopped talking, trying to think of a better way to say 'worries me that you're so interested.'

"It what?" he asked, walking over next to me, and leaning over the bar, glancing at Sookie, who was staring at the both of us.

"Nothing," I said, and he looked up at me, obviously not impressed, "I mean." I looked at him, then leaned down next to him, "Fuck it. It makes me nervous. I don't like it when people show interest in Eric, because Eric is a seriously fucked up individual who almost killed Lafayette."

He smiled, obviously understanding what I was _trying_ to say, "That's sweet of you, Addie."

"Shut up," I said, looking up at Sookie, "What do you want?"

"Bill said we were having a visitor this evening-"

"I'm not coming," I said, "I mean, I was supposed to, but I'm not now. I talked to Eric, actually, and he really thinks that it would seriously be better if he comes with me to meet your boyfriend," I looked at her, "I'm guessing you don't know why this is, because I have no idea." I sighed.

"Huh," she said, looking at the door, then back at me, "Maybe," she looked at Sam, smiling at him, like they knew something I didn't, which pissed me off a bit, "Well, he _knows_ you'll like Bill."

"I'll like Bill?" I looked at Sam, "Do you like Bill?"

I think I knew the answer to this question, especially since he didn't reply.

Sookie looked at me for a second, and then back at Sam, "Can I talk to you? I think I'm short."

She wasn't short.

He nodded, and they walked into the kitchen. I looked down, studying the wood of the bar, leaning against it and watch the place slowly begin to dissipate the nearer the clock's short hand got to the twelve. I glanced back at the kitchen and saw a flash of blonde as Sookie walked out of the kitchen and Sam grabbed her arm.

I was curious. You can't blame someone for being curious. The evidence piled itself up in my head. The facts were: there was very little about Sookie Stackhouse I didn't already know. Eric had made a point of filling me in on the telepath of Bon Temps. I trusted Sam, and didn't see any reason that I should be worried about him. I knew Sam "has a thing" for Sookie – according to Lafayette (even though I hate to say it's probably true, seeing how close they already are). And, finally, whatever they are talking about is something I'm not supposed to know.

Like any good little assistant, I felt that it needed to be my – or rather Eric's - business.

I walked over to the edge of the bar, "It couldn't hurt, could it?" I heard Sookie say, obviously a bit irritated.

"Yeah, it could," he said, "You realize how angry you were when you found out-"

"That was a different _reason_, Sam," she muttered, I had to really concentrate to listen, I blocked out as much of the bar as I could, and wiped the counter in front of me.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't say anything."

"She's going to find out anyway, you know," Sookie laughed a bit, "she's not stupid, and she works for _Eric_, I don't know-"

"Miss!" I spun, there was a man at the counter trying to get my attention.

"Yes?" I said bitterly, looking at the hunched over man in front of me, "Would you like something?"

He looked at me for a second, "Where's Sam?"

"In the back," I said bluntly, "Talking to Sookie. Is there anything I can help you with?"

He blinked once, "No, I'm fine, I just need to speak with Merlotte."

My interest was piqued once again, "Why?"

I slung the rag on my shoulder, stuffing one hand into my pocket, the other played with the button on my shirt. The man looked at me curiously, "Just some routine questions, we found a body on the outskirts of town – figured he probably stopped here." He flashed a badge, "Who are you?"

I had always had a lack of respect for police. Maybe it's because the police were never really much of a help to me – it's not like the little shifter girl can run to the cops when she is attacked by a vampire. Things don't work that way. Well, they didn't use to. Really, who would one go to if attacked by a vampire nowadays? It's possible that the vamp would be smart enough to just finish the job – you can't have people walking around pointing fingers, making things difficult.

Though really, some people just live to cause trouble, to make things impossible for the whole, no respect for others. Those would be the type attacking humans, the ones who don't care for modern integration, and the ones who didn't give a shit when the vampires came out of the closet.

Those were the scariest monsters, really. The ones who can do whatever they want, and don't care about the side effects. Regular cops like this guy – who was eyes the scotch behind me like it had some holy power – had no chance against them.

But dead bodies around this town were no rarity anymore, or so I hear. I wondered what it was about. Was it one of the more innocent killings? Or is it something important?

Something Eric-related?

That one sent a chill down my spine.

"I'll get him for you," I said, walking around the back and rapping on the wall to get Sam's attention, "There's some cop here for you." I glanced at him, our eyes hit for a moment, and he looked down, walking out next to me.

What were they talking about?

"Hey Andy," Sam said, grabbing the rag from my shoulder and working on the bar in front of him, I looked at him quickly, then hopped up onto the bar and began counting the money from my back pocket. Sookie left the back room and met up with Arlene, they started talking and walking towards the back out to make some lemonade or something.

"Twenty, twenty-two, thirty, thirty-three, thirty-seven," I whispered, placing the bills on the table, and really liking the feeling of money in my hands. You never realize how broke you really are until you come into some cash. It's nice.

"We're suspecting vampires," Andy was saying, "But you can never be too sure, do you remember him leaving with anyone last Friday?"

They can't be too sure? Wouldn't it be obvious if someone was murdered by a vampire? It's not like there was any escaping vampires. I learned that forever ago. It was hard for a girl to find her way alone in New Orleans – especially since Louisiana was like the Mecca for vamps. It's kind of weird, really. It's as though Anne Rice had predicted the New Revelation.

Then again, it wasn't like you could really run away from the vampires. They were everywhere – there was Sookie, _actually_ dating one. I, personally, don't believe in use of the word fangbanger – I think it's just gross. Honestly, though, she doesn't really strike me as one of those who bang just for the fang, if you will. If I had to really examine the situation, Sookie has to like Bill – or she got a hold of some of his blood and is stuck to him like glue. Either way, vampire relationships weren't uncommon, despite the rate of vampire-related murders.

They get cocky, these vampires. They just leave their prey out in the open for everyone to see, daring us inferior mortals to guess which one did it. They're confident. The sad thing is that it's because they can be.

I looked back down at my cash, "Shit." What number was I on?

"Thirty-seven," Sam muttered, "Andy, I'm telling you, I don't remember. I don't even think he was in here Friday. He's usually in on Saturdays, and Sookie's usually waiting on him – he always sits in the same place," Sam smiled a bit, "But I can't even remember if he was in here last Saturday."

"You're sure?" Andy asked. I looked at Sam, then went back to counting.

I laughed to myself. Of _course_ he was sure. Otherwise he would have said, 'I'm not sure.' "Forty. Forty-five. Forty-eight. Fifty. Sixty…"

"Yeah. It's been one hell of a week."

I snorted, then went back to counting, "Sixty-two…seventy… seventy-five…"

"Well," Andy shot a glance at me, I could feel it, "Thank you Sam."

"No problem Andy," Sam said, as he shuffled out the door, "What is your problem?"

"I don't have a _problem_," I said, "Eighty-four dollars. Shit," I said, a little incredulous.

He leaned on the bar, "Really?"

I shook my head. Then I sighed, "I just don't understand how these humans actually think they have the power, the resources, or the _smarts_ to catch a fucking vampire. It's ridiculous. It makes _no_ sense. It's not going to happen. Maybe they should team up with local sheriffs – there's no way the kings and queens would cooperate, much too old," I shook my head, "It's impractical. They need to be more pragmatic."

"They?" he asked, eyebrow raised, "You're not better than the rest of us."

"Oh, but I am," I smirked, jumping off the bar and putting away the two glasses I had dried prior to eavesdropping on his conversation.

"You were a big help today," he said, after a second of silence.

I nodded, "I know."

"Would you be interested in coming around more, to help out?" he asked, "Lafayette's idea, but we do need another waitress, and we usually need another bartender…"

"I'll bartend."

"On the weekends?"

"On the weekends."

He smiled, "Good."

I finished cleaning the counter, moving afterwards around the bar to sit on a stool and wait for Lafayette to come out of the kitchen. I didn't know if I was going home - or back to my car – tonight or not.

Sam was putting some things away, doing some counting from the cash register. He glanced over at me a couple of times, but I couldn't really get a good vibe on why.

"Girl," Lafayette called over to me, walking towards the door, "We've gotta go. You staying with me again tonight?"

"You want me to?" I asked, "I'm not sleeping on the floor again." I slid off the stool and walked over to him.

"See you around, Addie," Sam said, as we walked out the door.

I stuck my head back inside, "Bye!"

* * *

**Okay. That's it for this chap. I hope you guys really liked this chapter. There is so much more to come.**

**Thanks! Drop a review, it'd be seriously appreciated!**


	4. Chapter Four

**Okay, once AGAIN, I'm sorry to take so long to update. There is a method to my madness, as they say, but I hate to admit I think the madness here is underrated.**

**Here's my process:**

**_Think of shit to write. _****_Write. _****_Edit what I wrote, for content and grammar. _****_Dislike what I wrote while re-reading. _****_Start to re-write. _****_Forget what I put in the story so far, re-read old chapters. _****_Re-write. _****_Re-edit. _****_Send to Kylie to read. _****_Re-edit. _****_PUBLISH._**

**It takes much longer than I'd like. If you add in homework, speech practice, and early mornings you have my life. It's a bit sad, really. Not to mention Kylie's occasional slow-as-hell reading style.**

**I'd really like to—once again—thank all of you for reading. You're a fantastically loyal audience, and I'm so very lucky to have you. You guys rock. Seriously.**

**I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint in the least, because as you can see, I really do work my ass off. Ha.**

* * *

**Reviews**

**ShadesofShae:** Thank you! I'm really glad you like it! I have been trying really hard to get all the character's right, so seriously, thank you. :)

* * *

**Chapter Four: **Inside My Head.

They say time flies when you're having fun. I, for your information, was having an adequate amount of fun every night, and time still moved at a snail's pace. The days stretched on _forever_. It seemed that the only time I could get out and have fun was at night.

This is why my sleeping schedule began to morph its way into something shadowing that of the undead. And Lafayette.

I was enjoying my stay with him, really. It beat staying in my car, first of all, and secondly, it was a ton of fun. Staying up and watching late-night TV in my off hours was something that is just more fun to do when you have someone beside you. Especially someone as opinionated and loud as Lafayette Reynolds.

Tonight, though, was a work night. Triple shifts, actually. It was Friday, which meant I had to hit Fangtasia in the afternoon to make sure that Ginger didn't finally snap. That wasn't what Eric _said_ I was supposed to be doing, but it's what I do. You see, he_ says_ I'm supposed to make sure the, "affairs are in order before night."

Which is Eric-code for, "Make sure that stupid bitch doesn't fuck anything up."

Okay, that's my original interpretation of Eric-code.

Honestly, though, I think Ginger appreciates the attention. It's not like she meets humans, or human-like creatures, everyday. She didn't know what I was, and it wasn't like she could tell (she gives herself much too much credit in the vampire world). That alone was enough to put her at ease, taking comfort in her ignorance of who I really was and what I was really doing there.

All that, and I reminded her to eat. She's like a hamster, and if you don't set her up on some sort of feeding schedule she'd just starve to death. I think she had actually lost the ability to recognize her own bodily cycles.

I get home to make sure Lafayette is up and moving, since he has work soon, maybe usher in and out a few of his little "clients," before running down to the bar to take over for Tara.

She and I negotiated. Apparently, she was fine with taking a few days off, said something about her mental health being at stake.

Sookie said she would explain all that to me later, a statement that made Sam visibly on edge. I knew that it had to be important, and with the background Eric had given me on this town, I was incredibly curious. Vamps, killers, and maenads, oh my.

It'd be really nice to get an actual first-hand account of the situation. Lafayette told me what he remembers; it was a bit surprising to find that he is more forthcoming with his brush with a maenad than with Eric.

I didn't want to know what Eric did, anyway. I think that kind of naivety is all the better for our specific brand of relationship.

Lafayette told me to talk to Sookie, something I had no real intention of doing—that is, until she brought it up herself. I wouldn't normally be so curious, had it not been for the placement and timing of her delivery, I realize I dropped out of high school, but I sure as hell am not _dumb_. I know when someone's dropping a hint.

That hint wasn't for me though, it was for Sam.

See, it was a week ago, last Saturday, actually. It was the week Eric was out of town, because Sookie was still rushing for me to meet her boyfriend, even though I knew that _she_ knew that neither Bill nor I wanted anything to do with each other. I don't care who they are, I'm always going to be wary around vampires. I'd rather keep company with as few nefarious individuals as I can.

Not that Sookie cared. I still had the feeling she didn't trust me, maybe me getting to meet Bill and proving I can coexist with all vampires, not just the ones who happen to be as… _dastardly_ as Eric. I couldn't be sure, it's not like I could read minds.

But the way she said it, I knew she wasn't just talking to me.

I had just finished talking to Lafayette, and I had no real intention of asking Sam. I guess it was just my aversion to mixing business with pleasure.

That came out wrong.

Eric and Sam were two separate jobs, two separate bosses, and deserved two separate attitudes.

There, better.

Sookie had asked me about Eric, whether or not he had come back into town. I said that he hadn't, he was staying in Dallas until Monday.

She didn't ask why, which was good, because I didn't know.

She was going to say something about Bill. I didn't want to talk about Bill.

"Sookie," I said, leaning over the bar and looking at her, "I… appreciate your concern, but I was given explicit orders to wait for Eric. So that's what I'm doing."

She just nodded, and began on a short persuasive speech about how she thought it would be advantageous for me to… blah blah blah.

I didn't care.

That's when the words "Mary Ann" popped up, and I was interested.

"Eric told me about that," I said, "He said you and Bill stopped the damn thing. Didn't know how, curious enough."

She smiled, "That's really not my story to tell."

At first, I thought she was talking about Bill.

That's when Sam did that surprised cough thing he does when he's nervous. Which made me look at Sookie curiously, which made me wonder what exactly she knew, which made her smile.

Which just pissed me off.

"I really don't like her much," I muttered to Sam after she left to the other side of the room, and I felt safe to speak freely, "I don't like…"

"Not being in control?" he muttered, "Having things happen without your opinion or input?"

I looked over there quickly, "Where the hell did that come from? I don't like people poking around inside my head. I know she's doing it, she doesn't trust me at all."

"Then why does she want you to meet Bill?"

"There's only one reason Bill would want to meet me, and there's only one reason I would want to meet him," I looked up at Sam, who wasn't following me, "Eric's a _bad_ vampire, Sam." I spoke like I was talking to a child, smiling after I said it, and he hit me with his rag.

"Shut up."

"I haven't answered your question yet," I said, "I think that Sookie wants me to meet Bill because she knows we both share a common distaste for a certain vampire. And she thinks if we put our heads together, we can find a way to get him to leave her the fuck alone." I smiled, proud of myself, "But here's the thing," I grabbed his arm and pulled him down, "Eric's not going to leave her alone. She's… on his radar. Bill has her, he wants her—and the whole 'wanting what you can't have thing' is only part of the equation. Having Sookie as an asset under his control that he doesn't have to pay would be extremely helpful. And, come to think of it, I think he actually likes her. Like, is actually attracted to her."

"How do you know all this?" he asked.

"I pay attention."

This conversation made a path into multiple conversations with Sam surrounding my other job. Vampire drama was fun to relate to him, really, but I couldn't help but feel a little… edgy with his interest.

It wasn't until later when I realized that Sam knew something I didn't know, which, as Sam pointed out, annoyed me to no end.

It's not like I could ask him though. If he _remembers_, there is obviously something incredibly fucked about his memory. I didn't want to… scare him away. I liked having a friend around, someone to just… talk to. I felt like I could tell Sam anything, and I didn't want to ruin that.

Working at the bar was fun, and this particular evening was no difference. That is, until the moon went up.

Isn't it weird how a little extra work can ruin what used to be the perfect thing to occur on a Friday night? Normally by now, I'd be outside, running around, frolicking in the blue/white glow of the full moon. I loved moonlight. It came down in delicate slats, peeking its way through shadowy tree limbs that greedily tried to hug it all to themselves. It was like a game, find the light, and win the prize of a few more tingles down your spine.

It was titillating, actually, the moonlight made you feel almost… sparkly. It was as if every nerve in your body was energized, and you could feel the voltage radiate its way out from your core.

Keeping that all locked up inside provided a completely opposite reaction.

Friction. Everything you did rubbed against it, poked and prodded deep inside of you, at that little box in your center.

Not to mention, that if you had the slightest hint of reckless ambition, you would find yourself doing something stupid. Literally, _doing_ something stupid. Compressing yourself into that state of intense self-control really just makes you… ready to be _out_ of control.

The bar didn't necessarily help in this respect. It was chock-full of people, of movement; it had its own place and fluidity that, when preoccupied, was hard to keep up with. And, oh my _God_, was I preoccupied.

For starters, there was the fact that my leg was kind of hurting, which wasn't much fun.

And then there was the window, which was poised right in front of me, where the moon was huge and smack-dab in the center of it. If I didn't pay close attention, I could see my reflection in the mirror, which was better than just staring at that gigantic moon. I would glance up at myself, smile reassuringly (I never realized how crooked my smile was, it was endearing, I guess), and go back to work.

Then, there was the worst part. Sam was standing next to me, just like every night, but tonight, every stupid little time his stupid arm brushed against my stupid arm, every stupid time he chuckled, every stupid little smile… I felt like I was some five year old girl in Toys R Us staring at the prettiest Barbie in the store, and knowing that there was no way she could take it out of its box.

I wanted to open the damn box.

I bit my lip and looked up, nodding as Sookie told me a few drinks to prepare, which I did quickly, side-stepping Sam and breathing in sharply to keep my composure as he turned around, and gave her the drinks.

I glanced over at him, his eyes were on me.

We both looked forward. I could see him looking outside from the reflection in the mirror, I smiled, sticking my tongue out, he glanced over and laughed.

We were much quieter than usual. I guessed that Sam picked up on my remote attitude and decided to just leave me be.

He kept glancing over at me, though, most likely because I kept dancing around him, evading him at every opportunity. I felt like any contact would make me… a little crazy.

I was getting hot, I don't know if it was current condition or the bar, but I unbuttoned my shirt some, revealing the tank underneath before suddenly attracting Sam's attention.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine," I said, "You okay?"

"Fine," he replied, looking down, "You just seem pretty… distant or something."

"I guess I'm just…" I shrugged, "I dunno."

I swallowed, wiping off the counter after some guy got up. Sam slid over next to me, not touching me, oddly enough, but close enough that I could feel the heat coming off his body. "There something bothering you?"

I knew what he was getting at, "Eric is fine, Sam. I told you before," I took in a breath and then turned, looking up into those blue eyes, "You have nothing to worry about. I'm a lot tougher than you think." I couldn't help but think how hard this must be for anyone to believe, considering I was currently biting my lip and looking up at him like he held the secret of life or something.

But that was just the moon, not me.

I looked back down, "I understand the situation sounds bad in theory, but in practice it's fine. Honestly," I moved my eyes back to him, he was staring at me, and I looked back down, "Without Eric, I wouldn't even _be_ here."

"Why are you here, then?" he asked, "I mean, how'd you get down here with him?"

"I was sent," I turned directly into him, actually. He had turned himself, and was currently leaning casually, on arm out on the bar to balance himself. He grabbed my shoulder and pushed me back just a bit so we could see each other, as I continued, embarrassed, "Kind of like a… transfer. You know how in like businesses, when one branch doesn't need a worker anymore, they send them somewhere else? That's kind of like how I ended up here with Eric. Back in Bon Temps. Again." I swallowed.

"Huh," he said, shrugging, "I guess it'd be a little… high and mighty of me to actually think that I had some hand in your showing up?" He smirked, turning and grabbing a glass to wipe dry.

I could feel the side of my mouth turn up into a crooked smile, "You did, kind of. I mean, I wouldn't have wanted to come, leave everything I'd built up in Dallas behind, if, well, if things were just a bit different there, and if I didn't know you. Honestly, you are the only person I actually talked to besides the gay kid in my English class."

He laughed, "That's pretty pathetic."

"It proves your point," I shrugged, "In some way; you are kind of why I came back. Kind of."

He glanced over, "Really?"

I nodded, turning to face him. I threw the rag over my shoulder and set the last glass aside, feeling a surge of confidence with my slight confession. It was true, in its own partial way, knowing Sam was here _did_ make the decision to come here just that much easier.

But I didn't come because of him, Sam was just an afterthought.

I didn't want him to know that though, it felt like this is a… perfect time not to tell the whole truth.

"I guess I just didn't really realize it… _fully_, until I was already here."

He nodded, "You didn't remember me."

"Nope," I shrugged, taking a step forward and mockingly scrutinizing him, "I still have no idea how I could have forgotten about you."

"You only knew me for a year."

I nodded, "A lot's happened since we last saw each other."

"Like what?" he asked, leaning in, grabbing the rag off of my shoulder, eyes keeping their precise contact with mine.

There are times in your life, when you're really aware about a decision you're about to make. Some decisions just come so naturally, they are either instinctual, or just so supremely easy it doesn't even make sense to really think them out.

I see a fist coming towards my face. Instinst says, "Duck."

I do.

I open my eyes in the morning. The brain says, "Get up."

I do.

But sometimes, on those especially special rare occasions, you get to think it out.

I had options, for the first time in awhile. I had my chance to think out my own decision. I could tell the truth (that's always the first option, because it's always the one you _want_ to choose, but _can't_). I just couldn't do that. I could lie, come up with some random-ass story. I couldn't do that either. I'm a good liar, but I'm just not that creative. I could just kiss him now and get rid of all this supremely awkward (yet admittedly amusing) sexual tension. I couldn't do that either, no matter how much I wanted to.

So, I took the easiest way out possible.

All of the above.

I exhaled slowly, he was closer than I just remembered, but remained coy and confident, "Stuff." I raised my eyebrows, smiling to one side.

He grinned, and leaned a bit more. I stepped closer, head angling itself up just enough for our lips to touch—

Almost.

"Sam!"

Fuck you, Sookie Stackhouse.

I ducked down, moving under the arm Sam had placed on the bar, and he grabbed my waist, holding me there, "Yeah, Sook?" he asked.

"We're done, ready to go," she said, "I have a place I need to be."

Shit. I forgot about Eric. My phone buzzed in my pocket, I pulled it out, "I know, I'm on my way."

"You're not usually late, everything okay?"

"You're not usually concerned," I looked over to Sam, eyebrows raised, then glanced back at Sookie, who was staring directly at me.

Out. Of. My. Head.

She looked away.

"Just get here," Eric said, "I'd like you to arrive before Sookie."

"Come on, I can beat her there," I grinned, "I really have to go, Eric," Sookie was out the door, Sam's warm hand was still on my waist…

"He's got a progeny," he said, "Seventeen years old. You think you can…"

"Work some magic? Yeah. I can get a seventeen year old girl to like me. She likes you, right?"

"She seemed happy with her stay."

"I'm golden," I sighed, "Bye, Eric." I hung up, looking at Sam, "I should be gone by now."

"Then why aren't ya?" he asked, smirking.

"You're grabbing me," I said, unlatching his hand and stretching up to place a quick kiss on his cheek.

I smiled quickly, and took in another breath, desperately trying to keep myself under control before running my ass to the Compton Residence.

He walked over next to me, but I got out from behind the bar, leaned over it and kissed him again, this time hitting his lips, and pulling away with my eyes tightly closed, "Fuck, I gotta go."

He blinked, "Shit."

"Fuck," I said again, "I- I'll talk to you tomorrow," I looked at him as I opened the door, "I'm sorry about that," I pointed to the bar, "That was…. Shit, I have to leave."

"Addie—"

I shut the door, and started running.

* * *

**Well. Here we are. Chapter Four is done, chapter five already developed enough in my head that I kind of want to just write IT instead of working on the next UTG—but that's unfair. I'll be back as soon as possible, I promise you. Maybe I'll even get both of these babies done before next Saturday.**

_**Let's hope.**_

**So, I hope you loved it. Please take some time to review, it'd be appreciated!**


	5. Chapter Five

**Okay, everyone, we're back in business. I know you're unhappy with how excruciatingly long it's taken me to update, but I DO have some excuses. :)**

**First of all, I've been crazy busy. My weekends have been taken away recently because I've had speech meets (which take up whole Saturdays) and homework like you wouldn't believe. On top of that, I've written this chapter five times, and I'm still not totally happy with it. But, it's crazy long, and I have more I want to write, and if I don't post this now, I'll never post it, until I'm done with the rest of the night, which will take another week.**

**BUT, here we are.**

**I'll try to stay on top of things in the future, but overall I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

**Reviews:**

**Winged Seraph:** Gracias!

**CrissAngelMindFreak12:** Hi. Thank you!

**Kxkaos:** Thank you so much! I know it's been forever. Luckily, you don't have to wait long. Pssst… your review got me to finish. Well, got me to finish sooner. :)

* * *

**Chapter Five: **Tranquilize

I banged on the side of the house after pulling on my underwear, and pulled my tank top to my waist as Eric walked outside, leaning against the wall. I smiled a hello, and yanked on my jeans, using my T-shirt to wipe of the mud that had accumulated on my face and neck.

I shook a bit, pulling my hair up into a pony tail—and still unable to peel the smile off my face. Not like Eric noticed. I just finished running as fast as I could, hoping the wind would tear off the feeling Sam's lips seem to have printed on mine.

"Why are you covered in dirt?" he questioned, frowning a little and looking back out at the yard, as if waiting for someone to appear. I peeked in the window; the house was empty. Bill must be off collecting Sookie—which is _weird_, I suddenly realized.

"Are they not here?" I said, looking back into the window again, even knocking on the door once. There was no answer, "What about the girl?"

"Gone, I suppose."

I looked around, maybe hoping to see a light flicker in a bedroom or something. That's when I remembered that this isn't some normal teenage girl, "She got a boyfriend?"

"I think so," he said, "Not like I keep a close watch on her."

"Because you're _so_ busy," I muttered, smiling to myself. I dropped down, crouching on the ground, "Key."

"What are you doing?"

I looked up, "Sookie left before me. In her own car. The fact that we'd arrive here, and they didn't show it a little more than suspicious, wouldn't you say?"

He didn't respond, just watched me as I felt around for the tiny piece of metal, not seeing or feeling anything. I got up, and walked around a bit, "Maybe something happened," I supplied.

"I don't think so," he replied, as if he knew something I didn't, as usual.

My eyes flickered up to him, "You _didn't_."

"What?"

"You wouldn't act so confident unless you had some form of self-assurance. How'd you get her to do it?"

"Do what?"

"Don't play _dumb_," I said, looking through the window, "He has a piano."

Eric leaned against the house again, "It's none of your business."

"Fine. But it is something you could have included on the debriefing. Maybe you could include a manila folder with a list of all the humans who've sampled your blood."

He smiled, "Maybe."

Headlights cornered me, like they were pointing me out in the darkness. I could feel a lump form in the pit of my stomach, only supplemented by the fact that Eric's eyes were on me, not the light. I wiped off more dirt, as much as I could, and rushed, "It rained last night," I examined my clothes, "But I figured running would be best, considering the circumstances." I frowned.

He looked up, "Oh, it's that time of the month," he grinned, which make my stomach churn uneasily.

"You're not as funny as you seem to think you are, you know," I said, turning and leaning my head against the house. A man walked out of the car, and made his way up to us quickly.

He had dark hair, making him look even more undead than really necessary. His face had this expression of pure frustration settled upon it, like someone carved it there with stone. This didn't really change one his eyes finally focused on Eric and myself. Sookie was out of the car and moving toward us as well, not long after he finally stood in front of me. "Hello."

"Hey," I said offering my hand, which he accepted and shook, and I glanced at Eric to make sure I was following protocol. Eric really didn't like me interacting with other vampires. This came, of course, because of solid, shape-shifter-focused animosity from the vampiric race, accompanied by my own slightly abrasive personality.

Usually, when around vampires, I try to flaunt the whole beating-heart, possibility of an afternoon snack thing. This isn't because I want to be… fed upon, but I know that vamps, much like men, are a lot nicer to you when they think they have a shot—at either getting in your pants, or drinking your blood. Sometimes both, that just depends on the vampire.

It's not like I smell all too different from an ordinary human, I'm just warmer, which is something they can usually tell right off hand, especially if they're looking for it. In Bill's case, he was; his eyebrows flickered up as he took my hand.

After an uncomfortable silence, Eric cleared his throat. "I'm guessing you've heard about the murders just north of here—"

"Wait," I interjected, "You mean the ones the sheriff or whoever was talking about the other day? That actually _was_ vampires?" I could feel my eyebrows rise, "Isn't it your job to make sure shit like that doesn't happen?"

Eric looked over at me, "I have the feeling that Adelyn may be of some assistance to us, if you're willing to let Sookie interview a couple humans we found around the bar last night. They said they knew the two killed."

"So,when they say _sheriff_, they mean literally? You're like the vampire police?" I giggled a bit, "What does that make me?"

"My pet," he growled, smiling in a very scary way at his joke, and I shut up, my breath almost completely stopping mid-exhale. I hated it when he did that, had a _mood swing_ or whatever, and ended up acting exactly like a… vampire. Eric continued, "Despite her behavior, she's good at finding things we," he gestured to himself and Bill, "happen to miss. She's—"

"Undetectable, and observant. A rather deadly combination that I picked up in Dallas," I smiled sheepishly, "Learned from the best."

Eric's lip slid upward, in an almost reminiscent smirk. I could feel my lungs almost collapse with relief, we were good again.

"If you think it would help, I'm sure it would," Bill said, nodding stiffly, he looked at me, "Do you have any objections to accompanying us up there tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow's fine," I said, "Is that all?" I asked Eric, "I really should be getting back, I'm supposed to meet Pam for another verbal abuse session, and then I have to get Lafayette, and—"

"Be careful tonight," Eric said, a string of words that made both Bill and Sookie, who'd been quiet throughout the entire conversation, look up in a form of shock.

"Thanks," I said, "It is that _time of the month_." Eric chuckled, I smiled a bit, stepping around Bill, "Very nice to meet you."

"You as well."

I stepped off the porch, my feet thudding on the steps and I hopped down. The moon was pounding down on me, but I felt so… tired, like I didn't have the energy for a run. I just wanted to get the hell out of here, before I messed everything up.

I started off towards the woods, when Eric called my name, appearing behind me, "Pam is meeting you at the bar. I told her to stay away from your current residence."

I looked up, my eyes wide, startled by, at first his sudden appearance and then by his statement. "Why?" was all I could come up with, my brain not fully comprehending why Eric would have the… decency to do that. I didn't know what was going on tonight, it's not as if I could have caught Eric in a good mood, right? That doesn't just happen.

He answered, "Because you said you didn't want her at the house anymore."

I just nodded, and looked back at the house, and then turned around, "I have to go."

"Be here tomorrow night."

"Yeah," I said, glancing back for a second before dashing off into the woods. I felt like I was missing something, like something just wasn't making sense.

Sookie was too quiet. Under normal circumstances, she would have found something to bitch about, me tagging along tomorrow, Eric's sudden liking of me—which was even weirder, really. Why was he being so nice to me? Unless there was a reason, something I couldn't quite grasp.

The vampires, running around up north, killing people. I was going to do some _inspecting_ with that in mind? I'd never done that before. I'd sniffed out a few liars, I'd heard some things that have come in handy, but I'm no _detective_. The fact of the matter is my being up there tomorrow, with Bill and Sookie and Eric and following around them like I was some sort of puppy—it just didn't make sense. Godric wouldn't have sent me down here to investigate vampire feedings, I'm not supposed to do stuff like that.

Then again, I was just as lost on why I was sent down here in the first place. I haven't heard from Godric since that last night anyway, it's as if he'd completely forgotten about me.

This must be serious, these killings. The police were involved—maybe Eric didn't even know about them. Maybe that is why they're so important, because these guys know how to stay under the radar. I wonder who died. Fangbangers? Some random people on the street?

I weaved in and out of the trees, finally stopping at the bar. Pam had already come and gone, the vial of V was sitting in the passenger's seat of my car. It was almost laughable, such a powerful drug just sitting out in the open, like it was no more important than some piece of mail.

I threw my dirt covered shirt over the vial, feeling the need to cover it like it was some dirty secret. I walked around about to get into the driver's seat, when the lights in the bar flicked on again.

I stood at the car, leaned against the door for a second, thinking. Not all the lights were on, just a couple in the back, soft.

I walked closer, stopped and peered in through a window. I couldn't see anything, well, not anything relevant. My sneakers slid against the ground, propelling me towards the door as I tried to see what was up.

Before I knew it, my head was in, looking around like I was investigating some great mystery. There was no mystery, I'd had to know on some subconscious level, that really it was just Sam walking out of his office, stopping to stare at me. "Hey," he spoke first. I wanted to run back outside, but almost stomped to keep my legs on the ground.

"Hi," I said, "Why are you still up?"

He looked outside, and my eyes followed, not seeing anything but the moon, big and yellow, staring back at me. What Sam saw, I had no idea. Maybe he was looking for Eric, thinking that _I_ was the one who shouldn't be up so late.

That thought made me smirk. Yeah, right.

I opened the door a bit more, and he laughed, "Why the hell are you covered in dirt?"

"Fell," I said, '_while running around naked in the woods in the form of an animal_' came through in my head, but I clamped my mouth shut. Sam didn't need to know that. "So, about earlier," I said, walking to the bar and taking my place at my favorite stool, "That _probably_ wasn't the best idea. I haven't got a _clue_ what I was thinkin' you know?" I leaned forward, "But, apparently—"

"Your face is red."

"No it's not." Yes it was. I could feel it happening, that heat was creeping up on my face like I was submerging it in hot water, just a little bit at a time. My arms crossed in front of my chest, defensively, and I turned to face the wall in front of me, not the man to my left.

He laughed a little, "Fine."

"Fine," I said simply, hopping off the stool, "I'll see you next weekend, you'd better call Tara tomorrow, apparently Sookie and I have a date with a couple of vamps who aren't too nice. Yeah, but I've gotta hit it, Lafayette's waiting for me." I waved to Sam as I passed him, breathing out, _finally_, as I turned around.

Just to turn right _back_ around, "Are you seriously just going to let me go? That's _pathetic_, that's what that is. I'm—" I stopped talking, and laughed to myself. Why is it so incredibly hard for me to, I don't know, just fucking _go_ for a change? Why must I always make everything so complicated for myself?

I didn't know, but Sam was caught off guard. His head was forward a bit, face confused. I almost laughed again, but thought it'd be better to just leave. Not that I did, _of course_, I waited until her finally got his bearing, realized what I said, and then leaned forward again, "Don't you have to leave?"

"You should even be _awake!_" I said, exasperated, and he was laughing.

"Come on," he said, hooking an arm around me and guiding me towards the doors, flicking off a light switch before exiting with me, and then turning me to face in the direction of Lafayette's, "I, actually, have to leave too," he stood in front of me, glancing up really fast, "I should leave really soon." He kissed me, and I grabbed his shirt before he could pull away, pushing him back and looking at the ground before looking up at him. "I really… um… really have to go," he said, smiling in this sideways sort of fashion.

"Don't tell anyone about that," I said, "I don't think it's a good idea."

"Okay," he muttered, kissing me again.

I pushing him back again, "Don't you have to go?"

"Yes," he said, hand sliding behind my neck, pulling me toward him.

I disconnected our lips again, "I have to leave, too," I said, feeling like if I didn't get out of here I was just going to combust into flames, or worse, a fox. Stupid moon. "I… I'll see you soon," I said, closing my eyes. Why did that seem like a bad idea? I could feel the anxiety pool in the pit of my stomach, but I wasn't sure why. I mean, I wanted nothing more than to just stand here with him all night, but I could shake the feeling that something was going to turn out very, very wrong.

And it did, pretty damn fast.

Sam kissed me again, quickly this time, and then brushed some of the loose dirt from my shoulder, when it happened.

"I knew it."

Sam and I both turned, knowing that the voice didn't belong to either of us. Sookie cursed, "I can't believe this."

I didn't want to wait around for this to blow up (look at my track record, _it was going to blow up_) so I started for my car, "Later, Sam."

Sookie walked over to me, "I knew Eric wouldn't just—" She rolled her eyes, "I can't believe you'd go along with something like this. I wanted to think that you were better than him."

"I'm not doing anything," I said, "I promise you that much." I opened my car door.

"I understand having you around to watch Bill and I, to navigate his _minions_ or whatever the hell your job is, but using Sam like that, that's just cruel." She was pissed, in a major way. Honestly, I wasn't really sure why, because I was _not_ interested in Sam for any reason Eric has planted in my mind, and in all honesty, I'm not even sure if Eric's really aware of Sam and my relationship—if this really constitutes as one. I don't _want_ Eric to know about it, I just like having part of my life Eric-free, you know?

Eric's demanding. Having to answer directly to him could permanently mess up the wrong type of person. On top of all the annoying shit I have to deal with usually, there's always that looming fear that if I mess up bad enough, my _life_ could be on the line.

The only thing I have protecting me now is just a memory, a promise, really, and promises are _so_ easily broken.

So, why, why in the world would I let Eric dictate something like this?

"I'm not doing anything like that," I glanced up at Sam, who was on the verge of just leaving—I wished he just would, just this once, "I'd never do anything like that."

"Oh, shut the fuck up," Sookie said, getting angrier, "You walk around like you're something important. You're nothing. You're lower than nothing, you're just being used."

"No shit," I said, "Now, how about, you get the fuck out of the front of my car, before I run your ass over."

"I'm _sorry_!" Sookie yelled, "Did I hit a soft spot? Did you actually think that Eric gave a shit about you?"

"I couldn't care less what Eric thinks." True. "There's no reason for me to even _be here_ outside than the fact that Eric _needs my help_." False.

"Needs your help? So, _help_ includes taking advantage of someone just because they can do something you two can't!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" I thought we had things pretty much covered, Eric does the bloodwork, I've got moonlighting as a different species, she fucking reads _minds_, I don't think there's anything we're _missing_.

Unless, Bill didn't tell her what I am. Unless _I_ didn't clue her in. I just assumed she knew, I mean, she _can read minds_. You'd think she'd figure it out on her own.

"Sookie!" Sam suddenly yelled. I jumped.

Sookie turned, and I ran in front of her, "Wait a second!"

"No," Sam said, "She—"

"Do you not _know_?" I said, looking at her, "Do you think I'm just 'tagging along' tomorrow? Why the hell would Eric send a _human_ to chase after a bunch of vampires? Is that what you're trying to figure out?"

"Will you just tell the truth for once!" She yelled. This was pointless. She wasn't going to believe a thing I said, there was no reason for her to.

"Fuck you," I said, "I'm leaving."

She said some more, nothing I could really hear, as I got into my car. I started the engine, turned on the radio as loud as it would go before my ears began to hurt, and then drove away.

I didn't overreact.

I didn't punch anything.

Eric would be proud.

Or, he wouldn't.

"Why was she yelling at you, again?"

Pam interjected for me, "Her tongue was down the throat of the girl's boss."

"Which could have been stated much more delicately," I said sharply, "Listen, Sookie thinks you've been using me to get to Sam—that's the guy who owns the bar. Is there any reason I would be doing that?"

"Sam Merlotte?" he said, looking through his desk for a second, and looking up at me as I nodded a confirmation, "He's a shifter."

"A shape-shifter?" I asked.

"Yes," Eric said, "I don't know why we'd need a shifter," he sneered the word, "Especially one that isn't you."

I didn't know whether to be flattered or offended.

The office was surprisingly small, probably because he didn't use it as much as he should. The entire bar was his playground; really, he did whatever he wanted here. He even held "meetings" in the chairs near the front. It wasn't really decorated—what would Eric put up anyway? Fur pelts? But the barren walls made it seem… barren, disconnected. That, paired with Pam in the doorway, Eric in the chair (yet still somehow seeming relatively menacing) and me in the middle, the room was crowded and uncomfortable.

But mainly, I was angry. "How could you not tell me there was another shifter around here?"

"I didn't think you needed to know."

"You didn't think—What the hell makes you think that!" I yelled, "That is stupid! There is no reason I would ever _not_ want to know that there was another one!" I looked down, and ran a hand through my hair, pulling my head back up. "How would you feel if I just left out things when we were talking—"

"You do that all the time," he said.

"I do _not!_" I yelled.

He smiled, "I've never even heard about your interest in _him_," he gestured in the general direction of Bon Temps.

"You're my boss, not my diary, Eric."

"And," he said, "You never told me about your former interest in Godric—"

"That was just the blood thing. Lafayette has the same fucked up feelings for you. You should have known that without me telling you."

"Or about—"

"If the next thing is what I think it is, Pam made the shit _up_."

"She's lying, of course," Pam said, "You should have seen the two of them together. It would have made you sick."

"I didn't know vampires got sick," I said, bitterly. "Eric, honey," I said, leaning down, "You and I _both_ know, I'm not that dumb."

The moment in time Pam and I were referring to, was my first night out of Texas, when she just so happened to walk in on me and a certain sheriff saying goodbye.

There were three reasons Pam and I saw two different scenarios.

For one, Pam was not human. Well, in all reality, neither was I, but I was still infinitely closer than Pam.

Secondly, Pam was not under the influence of 2,000 year old vampire blood.

Finally, Pam wasn't leaving the place she'd been living for the past six years, and had the combined effects of the previous two under her belt.

"Yes, yes you are," Eric said, and then was silent for a moment, "He asked about you, last time I saw him."

My eyes widened for a second, "Okay, so Pam wasn't _completely_ lying. But still, it was totally innocent. And besides, I—" I stopped talking.

I couldn't even imagine being with him now, not when I can't get Sam out of my mind.

I had a little crush on Godric, this was different. I just loved being around Sam, it was like I could tell him anything…

When Godric and I kissed, it was like a fairytale, it didn't seem real at _all_. And I've been trying to distance the memory from me as well as I could. It was almost like a dream now, something that barely even happened, and at the same time, I knew that it did. The thought of that would… either crush Sam completely, or piss him off so bad that he'd never even look at me again.

I hated that it happened, I really did, but it wasn't something I could go back in time and just change.

"I don't know why you put up with her, she's just a little—"

"Will you _please_ just stop it, for once," I said, "Don't we have to go?"

"Yes," Eric said, "We'll take my car. Come on."

I didn't say anything else until we'd gotten to his car. Pam was a bitch, plain and simple. I wasn't a little, whatever she was going to say. Whore. Slut. That's not me, I just happen to fall into weird situations.

Eric spoke first, "So, are you going to tell me what happened between you and Godric, or are you just going to let me assume?"

"It's not like you need to know. We just kissed."

"You and the shifter just kissed."

"I'm a shifter too, you know. You can stop saying it like we're beneath you."

He looked at me as he started the car, "If you don't tell me, you won't feel any better. You're going to end up telling your boyfriend, and just making things worse."

"He's not my boyfriend."

"Whatever."

He was right though. I wouldn't be able to tell Sam, I couldn't bring myself to do it. It would be hard enough to tell Sam that I was a shifter too. I sighed, and leaned onto the dashboard, "Why do you even care? It's not like we're friends or anything. It'd do you no good knowing."

"I'm curious," he said.

Of _course_ he was.

So, I told him. It wasn't a very interesting story, really, but I told him the whole thing.

It all happened about a year ago. It was a beautiful night, and I was a little saddened that I couldn't fully appreciate it. My mind was elsewhere. I was outside, on the balcony-type thing on the edge of Godric's house. The wind was tickling my legs, but I ignored it, studying my face in the mirror. He was coming any second; I could feel my heart speed up at the thought. I kept my cool though, wondering why I had let Liz apply my make-up before that party. Everything was so… not me. My lips were colored a dark red, that had worn a bit within the last few hours, my eyes were shadowed in a charcoal-gray; I guess it didn't look horrible, but it didn't really seem like me.

I pulled the clip out of my hair, bangs falling back in front of my eyes. I smiled, we were getting closer. I stepped out of my heels, shrinking down to my original size, my bare feet touching the cold floor.

"Adelyn?" I gulped when I heard him, but turned around, "Good, you're here."

I nodded, "You wanted to speak with me."

"You look very beautiful," he said matter-of-factly, and I could feel my eyebrows come together. My hands played with the ends of my dress – which is what I guessed he was commenting on. _It_ was very beautiful, the top hugged my frame, falling down around my hips, the black fabric fanning out around my upper thighs, a few ruffles that shook whenever I moved.

I nodded, "It's a great dress." He smiled, as he usually does when I try to make a joke. I rubbed my arm, looking at it was kind of a shock after taking in Godric's pallor. That was something about vampires that always put me on edge, how pale they were. It was almost like they glowed, a light blue, like the hottest part of the fire. It suited him though, then again, I thought most things suited him – but I think that was the blood.

I hated vampire blood. More than anything. It changes your perception. For example, there's no way I'd be so uneasy had Godric had the callousness it took to just leave me be, let me… die? I'm glad he didn't, of course. I guess I really disliked feeling so… odd every time I saw him. I could feel my insides swell, along with the irrational will to rip all of his clothes off.

He probably knew this, and that's what made me the most annoyed. I wasn't sure what he was reading from me, my annoyance or my… I didn't even know what to call it. It wasn't _just_ lust – or whatever, I almost blushed at the thought of that. I did _like_ Godric; if he was human I'd be all over him.

Then I feel guilty. Isn't it just so hypocritical of me to dislike someone just because they are a different species?

But I don't dislike him. I'd have no problem being Godric's friend – I just can't imagine myself entangled with someone who's been alive for the past two thousand years. It just didn't seem natural. It didn't seem likely.

And on top of that, I didn't _really_ like him. It wasn't _me_ that felt all this, it was the V. Godric saved my life, but I wasn't sure that I'd still feel so incredibly enthralled with him if I wasn't under the influence.

"Did I pull you away from something?" he said, nodding towards me.

I blinked, walking over to the edge of the balcony, and leaning back on the railing, "Yeah, actually. I was at a party. One of the guy's at the bar was throwing one – my friend got a bit carried away in putting together my outfit." I smiled a bit weakly, once again felt the wind come by and play with the end of my dress, I could feel the air cut through to my bones. I didn't shiver though, just became exceedingly aware that it was just this thin black fabric protecting my body from Godric's eyes. I looked out at the city, feeling the heat begin in my cheeks.

"Good," he said, smiling again, "I'm glad you have some human friends," he seemed so sincere, "You deserve to feel integrated into normal society. It'll do you some good." I just nodded again, blinking slowly, "Did you have fun?"

I shrugged, "Sure," I took a deep breath and shook a little, "There was this guy following me around. I turned him down about three times." I smirked, and couldn't help but laugh a little, "But I had fun."

"Good," he walked forwards a bit, "I need to tell you something."

I can't tell you how many fantasies involved those exact words, but I was more confused than excited. Godric never needed to tell me something. My visits with him were more like therapy sessions, coping with the outside world, he watching over me, offering me advice on how to act normal without hiding. But, honestly, I was always a little confused on why he had such an interest in me. It was like I was a pet he kept on a little leash also known as his blood.

I hoped this wasn't so, of course. He was so… good. It was hard to believe he would do something so cruel.

"I'm sending you to Louisiana," he said, "I think you could be more help there – it'll be easier to start over," he stopped for a second, trying to gauge my reaction, "I have a friend who could watch over you, you may have to do some work, but I think you'll enjoy it. Much more… adventure," he grinned.

I looked up; I had been studying my toes against the floor, and asked, "You're sending me away?"

"You don't have to go," he said quickly, "I'm leaving," he took another step forward, "I'll be gone for awhile, I don't really know how long. There's not really much for you here if I'm gone."

"That's not conceited," I muttered.

He laughed again, "It's not, actually." I snorted despite myself, and he continued, "You'll like it. I promise."

I stepped away from the railing, "And if I don't?" I raised an eyebrow, "Where are you going, anyway?"

"There are some things I need to take care of," he said, "No need to worry."

"I wouldn't worry," I replied.

He smiled, "Of course. I also wanted to thank you, for helping us out around here. It's been nice having someone around during the day lately."

"No problem," I looked down again, "Godric-"

"Adelyn," he walked closer, "Please don't say anything-"

"Stupid? Why not? It's what I do." I laughed a little, angrily tossing my hair. I couldn't believe how mad I was. I made an effort to calm down, slow my breathing, and blink a few times… I knew I couldn't be angry – being angry wouldn't solve anything.

He smiled, putting a hand on my shoulder, playing with my hair, "You really do look very nice tonight."

"Thank you," I whispered.

I don't really know how it happened, I don't know if it was me, or him, or what. All I know is that soon, we were kissing. Godric and I. Kissing.

And it was _fantastic_.

My arms were at my sides, and slowly moving up, hooking onto the front of his shirt as he came even closer. He latched one arm around me; I could feel his hand, cool and strong, on the small of my back, the other on my cheek. Our lips were moving against each other, surprisingly slow. I think I was so shocked by what was happening that moving seemed beyond me, like if I did something wrong it would just be over.

Godric stopped, leaning back a bit, "Someone's here."

"Shit," I muttered, immediately turning bit red, but not really caring. I dropped my hands from his chest, his hand on my back keeping me still, preventing me from moving to get my shoes and leave.

"Don't go anywhere," he said, smiling a little.

I swallowed, and stood still, "Who's here?"

"Your ride, I think," he glanced back at me, my confused look making him smile more – I was so amusing, "You actually thought I was going to send you across state lines all alone?"

I didn't think about it. I just wanted to kiss him again. "Is it your friend?"

"I doubt it," he said, "He has his hands a bit full. For some reason," he turned back to me, "Louisiana has had a lot of stuff going on lately."

I smiled, "So you think I'll _help_ that?"

"Why wouldn't you?" he kissed me again, "You'll love it."

I kissed back, and closed my eyes for a second, "Why do I feel like you're telling me goodbye?"

"Because I am," he said, "Goodbye."

"You're such an asshole," I giggled, "I feel like I'm never going to see you again, and I don't care. I think it's the kissing. The kissing helps," I said, leaning forward and touching his lips.

"I thought it would," he said, "I wish I could have you stay."

I rolled my eyes, "You could, you're just feeling human today - everything needs to be done _now_, before it's too late. That's very noble of you, a little weird – I mean you have all of eternity, which is why I'm a little scared right now," I kissed him again, "You feel… like you're almost done."

He just smiled, "It's almost day. You should meet your escort."

"You're right."

That's when I met Pam, it was also the day Pam realized that she didn't like me.

* * *

**OKAY. So, I am not entirely satisfied with this chapter. I think it could have been better. Blah, blah, blah.**

**If you guys liked it, let me know. If you agree, think it wasn't spectacular, let me know why. I'll appreciate it!**

**Also, don't hesitate to bug me if I don't update for another decade.**

**Also, sorry this chapter was so long.**

**Also… Review!**

**Love you all! See you soon!**


	6. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six:** Summer Skin.

Vampires, vampires, vampires. My entire life was ruled by vampires. And now, everyone else seemed to be suffering the same fate.

The bodies were gone, but the blood remained, staining the concrete where they were found.

They said the bodies had ties with the church, the Fellowship of the Sun. They were going to be married there. A man and a woman, both killed out in the open.

Eric had a theory, told me it after I relayed to him my story, that the vampires from Texas were… revolting, if you will. The FOS may have been scared into submission after Bill, Sookie, and Eric ventured there almost a year ago, but tempers flare up again.

And without Godric, things have only gotten worse in Dallas, the vampires there have set out on a full vendetta against the church, against _humans_ in all reality.

It's unfathomable, I know. I thought Eric was going crazy, but seeing this, and seeing the FOS on the news, starting up new recruiting methods in New Orleans… I couldn't help but think that there was something going on.

I leaned down, "What is it I'm supposed to be doing?"

"Smell anything?" Eric asked, in a slightly condescending tone.

I swallowed, "Just blood. A lot of it. There's no trace of anything else."

"You're sure?"

I closed my eyes, trying to pull out something other than the coppery smell of the blood caking the road, but shook my head, "I-I've got nothing. They didn't leave a thing behind."

"Well, that was pointless, then," Sookie snapped.

Eric's head turned quickly, "She's not done yet."

"I'm not?" I didn't like this. I wasn't some science project he was allowed to show off. My phone buzzed in my pocket.

"Hello?" I looked back at Eric, who was shooting me a glare. I couldn't tell if he was worried about me (which I found highly unlikely, despite the big reveal of my "relationship" with his maker) or worried about who I was talking to.

It wasn't like he had a reason to be, "Where the fuck are you?"

I walked over to the car, leaning against it as Bill, Eric, and Sookie crowded together to work on their own investigation. I wasn't going to be here long, I could tell. This made me smile, especially when paired with the distinct grin I could hear in the voice on the phone, whom I hadn't spoken to since the night before. "Why?" I teased, "You lookin' for me?"

"Yup," he said, "Have been all night. I want to see you."

I looked down, kicking the dirt in front of Eric's car, "Really?"

"Yup," he said again, sounding excited, "I can't stop thinking about that kiss… I just really need to see you."

I smirked, "Well then, I'm glad you called, Merlotte. Actually, I have something I would like to tell you."

"Ditto," he said simply, I heard a bark in the background.

I looked up, Eric and Sookie were both staring me down, and Bill was walking to his car. The car touched the back of my legs, its heat searing into them. I sat a little. I looked back at Eric, deciding to tackle this stare with all I had while answering Sam, "What do you have in mind?"

"Meet me at the bar," he said, I heard the clanking of glasses, along with the trickling of alcohol. "We'll…" he paused, chuckling a little. I could picture it, him behind the bar, phone to his ear, head cocked towards the ground in an embarrassed laugh. Then he continued, "Take a walk. Through the woods."

"Wait a sec," I saw Eric's mouth twitch as I smiled into the phone, "Sam Merlotte is asking _me_ out on a date?"

I laughed, my face picking up that kind of smile that happens totally on its own and has about no real chance if going away. Eric noticed, his expression darkening significantly for a reason I couldn't full comprehend. But, Sam noticed too, "Surprised?"

"More than you can believe," I giggled into the phone, suddenly feeling the need to turn away from Eric's gaze as I spoke to Sam, "I'll be there as soon as I can. If Eric'll let me sneak away. God knows Sookie's ready to see me leave."

"You're with Sook?" he asked.

"Yes, and despite your definite ideas that she and I are to be friends," I laughed, "She doesn't like me being around you. And I don't like her being around Eric."

"You're protective of him?" he seemed flabbergasted.

I answered immediately, not really thinking as I spoke, "I have to be. Godric made me promise I would." I bit my lip after I said that, "It's just in my nature. I'll be there soon."

"Addie." He said sternly, "He doesn't need protecting."

"Not in the way you think," I muttered, "See you soon, Sam."

Before I was coherent, Eric spoke, causing me to jump feet into the air, "The bartender?"

"Sam," I said, "Yes. He wants me to meet him tonight. I'm going to go."

"You were talking about me."

"I usually do. What other interesting stories do I have?" I asked, turning around to look up at him, "I'm telling Sam the truth. He deserves to know. And I'm not just going to do it because of some slight chance that I might be in love with him or something _stupid_, I'm doing it because he's the only one around here who actually gives a shit about me."

"Lafayette?" Eric smirked, knowing that wasn't going to stop me from doing anything.

I laughed, "He's scared shitless of you. No reason for him to be scared shitless of me."

"I thought you were scared shitless of me."

"Constantly," I smiled, "I'm guessing Sam isn't, though. He doesn't seem to be phased all too much when I name-dropped on our first encounter. Actually, he was just surprised that I knew who you were."

"So?"

"Why do you know Sam?" I asked, waving to Bill as he got in his car. His eyebrows rose, but he held up a hand in response. Eric got into his car, and I ran around quickly to catch up with him before he drove away without me—I wouldn't put that past him.

Eric looked at me inquisitively, "Why do you want to know?"

"Because," I said, shrugging, "It matters."

"I'll let him tell you, then."

"You're an asshole," I said, looking out onto the road.

Eric just laughed, "Don't talk to me that way."

Eric and I didn't talk much the rest of the ride home. He dropped me off at the front of Bon Temps, allowing me to wander my own way to the bar.

The way Eric cares about Godric is beyond my belief. I was in this because I loved Godric—not romantically, but… in a way. He, for about five years, was my closest friend.

This was pathetic, looking back on it. My closest friend prior to that was Sam. And now, the only person I've been totally honest with is Lafayette. And Eric. The thought of that made my stomach churn.

But having Godric's okay—his _real_ okay, not just my word. The admittance of my story to Eric not only made me incredibly uncomfortable (he hasn't looked at me the same way since) but for a reason I can't fully understand he seems to have some sort of… respect for me. It's not like I know why, I mean my story basically revealed me to be a slut, and in my opinion made me undeserving of any respect whatsoever. In all reality, allowing myself to lose control with Godric that night was the biggest mistake of my life.

And it was only worse when I came here, and Eric broke the news to me of his death.

_He was in his office. I was sitting in the chair across from him, scared as usual. I had no idea what was coming, but I probably should have. I didn't know Eric very well, but looking back on it, it was all so obvious. He was quiet, as usual, but he was _so_ quiet, and seemed so angry. Pam was even on her best behavior._

"_Godric is dead."_

_I felt my throat catch, "You're lying."_

_The look he gave was enough confirmation. It was frightening. I began to sweat a little, palms clammy as I wiped off the tears that were making their way down my face. I didn't overreact though, I stayed in place. My face only moved enough for me to take in oxygen._

_And then it got bad._

_I felt the anger well up inside of me. How the _hell_ could he do that to me? Kiss me and then _kill_ himself? Where was the love in that? Where was the self-righteous attitude that was supposed to come with being right?_

_I was right. I did tell him that he was feeling too human._

_So I got up, and walked out of the stupid bar, through the back door of course, and threw a gigantic hissy fit._

_I was yelling, kicking, and ended up leaning against the metal back of the bar, pounding my fist against it in a futile fashion, muttering to myself as if me going slightly out of control to make this any easier._

_And it never would. I kicked the bar. The metal made a loud clang; Eric was behind me in seconds._

"_Is there something you would like to say?"_

"_That asshole _lied_ to me," I said, feeling like I was melting against the wall. I grunted sourly, feeling the urge to shift and bark my head off—that was an upside of being a dog in your spare time; you had the freedom to just bark your head off._

_That's the thought that made me stop crying._

_A dog? I hadn't shifted into a dog in years; I'd picked up the fix just after I changed locals, and it just stuck._

_Eric didn't pick up on my change in mood, "Lied?"_

_He didn't lie, just didn't tell me the whole truth. "Not really. He might as well have." I stood, twirling and looking out into the woods, "He knew that I knew something like this was going to happen. And that's why I'm here, back here, again."_

I looked up, Merlotte's sign glowing in the darkness. My reverie was quickly casted aside, and a smile crept its way into my features as I walked up towards the bar.

I was going to tell him, that much I was sure of.

But before I did, I had to take into consideration the deranged Sookie of two nights ago. She had one solid point; maybe this wasn't the best idea, especially considering my line of employment.

"Took you long enough," Sam said, jumping around the bar and walking over to me, instantly pulling me into a kiss. "So, we need to talk."

"Me first," I said, stepping under his arm and moving to sit back at my stool. Instead of walking around the bar, he stayed in front of me, hands on my hips. I leaned up and kissed him again, "I-um…" I took a breath, "Are you sure?"

"About what?" he asked, surprised by my question.

I wanted to kiss him again, but I restrained myself, and instead fiddled with his hand, "This."

"What?" he asked, shocked, "'Course I am."

"You don't think this is… weird?" I asked.

"Nope," he said, kissing my nose.

I rolled my eyes, "Not to say that I was expecting you to hit on me when I was sixteen," I rushed, "But, don't you think that there was a definite—" I paused, "_connection_ that we had when I was younger that could be both fucked up and extremely… weird is messed with now? And on top of that, you hate vamps, and I currently have one breathing down my neck on a regular basis."

His face grew stern, "Don't mention Eric and your neck in the same sentence ever again."

"You ignored that first half."

"I did that on purpose," he sighed, "What are you trying to get me to do? _Admit_ that I was attracted to you as a sixteen year old?"

"No!" yelled, "Of-of course not. That would be disgusting. You always said you thought of me as like a-"

"Kid sister," he said, "Who just so happened to run away from home two weeks after her sixteenth birthday, effectively leaving me—"

"All alone," I said, "And I'm sorry. I was stupid, wasn't thinking…"

He laughed, "About me? What the hell are you talking about?"

"You're not very social, Sam. The only reason you talked to me is because I was just a kid who wasn't going to bother you. I was quiet. You were always lonely, and maybe if I would have stayed you could keep that little sister you liked so much."

"What makes you think I was lonely?" He asked.

I looked up at him, "It was obvious. You were always just a little sad, not enough that anyone would notice, but enough that… I did."

"I'm not lonely," he said, almost glowering at me.

"Yes you are," I scoffed, "Don't lie to me, Sam."

"I just _enjoyed_ your company. You weren't curing me of this undying loneliness or anything?"

"How pissed were you when I ran away?" I asked, "Because I missed you like hell. I was also in love with you, so that's gotta account for some of it."

"I was mad," he said, "That you left without telling me, mainly."

"Not true," I said, "I told you, you… just weren't listening."

He laughed, "When was I _not_ listening to you? You _never_ shut up!"

I smiled. "That's what I've got to tell you. It also explains why I'm working for Eric, why I'm so fucked up—everything." I giggled at the thought.

"You've talked long enough," he said, "Besides, whatever you say isn't going to be this important, and I want to tell you before I lose my nerve."

"What?"

"I'm a… shape-shifter," he said, "You know the term right? I'd guess Eric would have told you about them…"

I blinked, "Is this some sort of joke?"

"Um… no," he said sheepishly, "I kind of wish it was… I just figured that if we were really going to _do_ this, it was something you should know…"

"Get the fuck over here," I muttered, grabbing his shirt and pulling him closer hungrily chasing after his lips, catching onto them with ease. I nibbled lightly on his bottom lip, practically begging for a way inside his mouth, which came after the shock at me attack finally left his body—warm, _so_ warm; I couldn't believe I didn't realize it before.

My entire body was tingling, nerves dancing as my hands were eagerly grabbing at him, currently hooked on his collar as my lips broke from his and worked down his neck. My hands slid from his collar, frantically searching downwards, somehow not being able to unfasten a stupid button. This frustrated me to the point where I was ripping apart the shirt, the two sides of it effectively popping apart, even if I may lose some buttons in the process. He caught my lips again smirking as he pulled off his shirt completely, allowing my hands to stop their erratic movements and scour his chest. "You are so _warm_," I muttered, unlocking our lips and moving them down his neck again.

His hands slid underneath my shirt, and we parted for a moment so he could pull my T-shirt over my head. He worked on my bra, I fumbled mercilessly with his pants, and he asked, "What brought all this on?"

I kissed his lips again, grinning, "You remember that St. Bernard that used to hang around the bar late nights?"

His eyes brightened, "Oh, my…"

"I'm guessing you were the collie?" I giggled, hands sliding on his arms, standing as he unbuttoned my jeans, "That's so cute."

"So's your underwear," he laughed crouching while, sliding the pink, heart-covered panties down my legs.

"Oh, shut up," I muttered, "And take off the rest of your clothes already. I do _not_ have all night."

"Gotta get back to your vampire?" He asked, hands resting on my hips, his lips brushing along my stomach, making me shiver. "_I_ can bite too, you know." He chuckled, and I could feel his teeth graze my thigh.

"H-he doesn't d-do any biting," I said, pulling him back up and locking lips once again before wrapping my legs around his waist, and resting back against the bar.

I was breathing so hard that soon my breath exited with a low growl, similar to the one Sam was emitting. I'd never had sex with another shifter before. I guess it only made sense things would become a little… animalistic. I smirked into Sam's shoulder, head shooting back with a gasp as he hit _just_ the right spot, sending my head back into his neck panting with anticipation. My hands dug into his arms, lips planting sweet kisses along his neck, cheek, and finally his lips, just before every cell in my body was set on fire. I cried out before my head rolled onto his shoulder, the outside of my body still tingling, my core totally sedated.

"We're doing that more often," I whispered, almost too tired to talk. The lack of sleep over the past few days finally caught up with me.

Sam laughed, "Put your clothes on before you fall asleep."

"Not yet," I said, sitting up, "We don't need clothes for what I wanna do."

"_Again?_" He said, "You're exhausted!"

"No," I said, laughing, "I missed you. Not just _you_, but," I smiled, "you."

"You miss the dog?"

I nodded, "Oh so much. We used to have so much fun. Now, I could just go outside and play with your friend, or you could join me outside."

"Really?"

I slid down until my feet touched the ground, pecking Sam on the lips, "First one to the lake is a fucking rotten egg," I sing-songed, sticking my tongue out.

Then I ran, jumping into Daisy, to the woods. Sam caught up with me quickly, his collie seeming so small in comparison to my big-ass St. Bernard.

And, for just a little while, Eric was farthest from my mind, as were the pools of blood, Sookie's yelling, Godric… all gone. Poof.

"Did you think," Sam's head popped up for air, the lake water swishing around us, cradling us within it as we looked at each other, "the moment you walked into my bar all those year ago, that this would be happening?"

"Yep," I said, "Well, it was one of many Sam-influenced fantasies that wracked my teen years," I laughed, "I never thought it'd be this perfect, though."

"Perfect?" He asked, "Well, I'll take that as a compliment."

"I'm glad I can boost your ego."

"Who's the person who sent you to Eric?" He asked, dunking back under water, waiting for my answer.

I sighed, "Why is it always with the questions?" I swam next to him, "Does it really matter? No, because you don't know who he was."

"He?"

"Eric's a he," I said, "You don't seem jealous of him."

"I'm not jealous," he laughed.

I splashed him, "You are a little. I can tell."

"Of course you can."

"I can _smell_ the sweat on you," I said, "Why else would you be sweating in the water?"

He swam over behind me, breath tickling my ear, "Couldn't be because I'm swimming around with a pretty girl?"

"I'm not sweating, and you're pretty damn appealing," I cooed.

"You've seriously liked me this much all that time, and never said a word?" He asked.

I turned around, "Wasn't much to say when the only good part of my day was sitting on that damn stool."

His eyes softened a bit, smile faltered, "I'm sorry."

"Not your fault," I shrugged, "You did what you could, even though it didn't help much. The bastard was an alcoholic who really _did_ find sixteen-year-old me attractive, and wouldn't shut the fuck up about it. And the bitch didn't give a shit what I was doing as long as I wasn't in her house taking up space," I smiled, "But you knew that."

He frowned, "Barely. You could've told me."

"No, I couldn't have," I said, "You had your own problems, didn't need to help out some crazy foster kid."

"What _about_ your real parents?"

"What about _yours_?"

That shut him up nicely, "Addie…"

"We'll talk later, okay? I've got to get back to Lafayette…" I got out of the pond, waving to him before shifting back. I barked. He smiled.

"Girl, where the hell have you been?" Lafayette shouted when I got back home.

I smirked, "Out."

"Eric?" he asked.

"Fuck no!" I yelled, "Well, that's a lie. I was with him for a while. Business."

"Then," he said, "What the fuck did you do next?"

"You don't give two shits," I said, smiling.

He smiled back at me, eye shadow gleaming in the light of the TV set, "Hooka's been _fuckin_' ain't she?"

"I've never heard those words in a sentence about me before," I laughed.

"It's true then?" he asked, laughing, "Who? Not Eric."

"You _wish_, honey," I laughed, "Over my dead body."

"You finally did it," he started bouncing with his laughter, "You got Sam."

"I did not _get_ him," I snapped.

He nodded, "You're right. You already had him. It was just a matter of getting' into his pants."

"Shut _up_," I said, tossing a pillow at my roommate. "I need a shower."

"I bet you do!"

"Shut _up!_"

* * *

**There we go. I REALLY hope you enjoyed.**

**Reviews are appreciated, valued, and loved, so take the time! Please! Let me know what you think!**


	7. Chapter Seven

**Reviews:**

**Murgatroid-98:** Whoot for enjoying the story!

* * *

**Chapter Seven:** Secrets.

"The fact that I'm getting paid for this makes me feel dirty," I said, moaning lightly as Sam's lips tackled my neck.

"I'm good with that," he muttered, pushing me back against the door again. I buttoned my jeans, sliding down against the door to better reach his lips. I began buttoning his shirt back up, while he simultaneously started unbuttoning mine.

"Sam!" I chided, finishing the last button and pushing him back a little.

He looked up, smiling, "What?"

"There's no one tending the bar."

"We were fast," he muttered, lightly kissing my nose.

I smiled, "You need to learn some self-control." I re-buttoned my top, "I don't want Arlene down my neck because I'm _banging the boss_ or anything."

"You _are_ banging the boss," he said, "Would you rather me fire you?"

"Of course not," I said, "I love our innuendo-laden conversations." I kissed him again, "We're just not fucking every ten minutes."

"Damn," he frowned, tucking a hair behind my ear, "Go on out, I actually have work to do."

"Thank you," I said, spinning and walking back towards the bar.

I was busy making margaritas and ignoring my cell phone when Sookie and I exchanged glances. I had a meeting with my other boss tonight, and she knew it, at which point I was verbally abusing her in my head, hoping she'd pick up on that for once.

Sam and I talked about Sookie sometimes. He said that we were hard to read—or at least, he was. He figured I was pretty much the same way, riding on waves of emotion instead of really thinking things out. It's not like she spends all her time listening to me anyway; I had the feeling she was much more focused on Sam.

It was obvious she wasn't my biggest fan. The looks she shot me every time I spoke to him, the way she felt the need to say something to one of us every time we got too close, and the fact that I could practically feel the anger rolling off of her every time she even looked at me. I don't know how to tell her that I wasn't my boss, without sounding rude or like I'm in denial.

I suppose it was just a matter of time until some of Eric actually did rub off of me, but I don't think that's happened just yet.

I hadn't seen Eric for a week. I'd been avoiding him. I really just didn't want to have to talk about Sam with Eric, and I really, really didn't want Eric meddling in with my personal life. I liked Sam, and didn't want Eric fucking that up.

I was also kind of afraid to talk to him again. I don't like being some vampire's protégé, and I wasn't really sure what Eric had in mind when it came to me. As long as I was staying on his team, I wanted to have some sort of say in what I did and didn't do, and if that meant asserting my independence by not seeing him for a week or so, that's what I was going to do.

That's how I got my promotion. It's not like a connection with Godric is going to get you an assistant position immediately. It took work. A shit-ton of work. In my phone is a complete contact list of vampires, a direct line to one of the queen's body guards, the Fangtasia employees, and a few of Lafayette's clients (vampires and users alike). I was an asset. I ran errands. I fired people. I hired people. I took care of the bar during the day. Hell, I've even tracked down some humans when Eric sent out Pam and I to find people. I _helped_. I didn't start that way though, my first job here was basically to keep the vampires happy.

Well, that's still my _job_, I just have a bunch more responsibilities.

That's why I liked Merlotte's. I just made drinks. No more complications. No more danger.

The detective came up. Andy was his name, at least, that's what Sam called him. I physically stopped my eyes from rolling.

"Hey, Andy," I said, deciding to play nice in case he remembers how ruse I was. The bodies he found were long gone, why would he be back—

He didn't suspect someone _here_? That was crazy. Maybe some more were killed. That wouldn't really be all too surprising.

"Um, hey," he said, looking at me like I was crazy.

I smiled, "Anything I can get ya'?"

"No, I'm on duty," he growled, "Where's your boss?"

"Sam's in the back, I'll get him for you." I turned around. It would be a lot easier to be nicer to that man if he had a better attitude.

I opened the office door and slid in as quietly as possible, looking at Sam as he counted out some cash and wrote something down with a pencil, sliding the utensil behind his ear. I giggled.

He turned quickly, "What are you laughin' about?"

"You look like such the intellectual," I said, "That detective's here to see you again."

"Andy?"

I nodded, "Out at the bar."

Sam shrugged, "Okay. Then we should probably go meet him."

When we got back out in front of the bar, I went back to making drinks, sneaking peeks at the two men as I did so.

"What's up?" Sam asked, placing two hands on the bar and looking curiously at the police officer.

Andy shuffled a bit in his seat, looking uncomfortable at my presence, Sam looked over at me and then back at Andy, and then at me again, "So," Sam said, "Have you met Addie? Addie, this is detective Andy Bellafleur, Andy, this is Addie."

"Adelyn, actually," I said offering my hand, "It's nice to meet you, detective."

He shook my hand quickly, and Sam and I exchanged glances. I turned around, grabbing another glass and making yet another drink.

"Well, there was another body found," Andy said, and I felt the glass slip in my hand. I set it on the counter and pricked up my ears. Andy lowered his voice. "Once again, just out of town. The bodies were drained this time, almost completely… I was wondering if you've seen or heard about any vampires moving around here."

"Well, I've seen the same vampires you've seen, and I honestly don't think they're capable of causing anyone any harm."

Bill and his girl? Nah.

"I'm not talking about them," Andy said, "I've got complaints of soe vamps from Shreveport coming up here, heard anything about that?"

"They haven't been in here, Andy."

Andy sighed, leaning in, "A girl went missing yesterday. Her last trip was to Shreveport. If you know _anyone_ with any connections—"

"Are you trying to tell me something, Andy?" Sam asked.

"Where's that new girl of yours from?"

"She's rooming with Lafayette, I believe."

"Did you know she's been making trips to Shreveport almost biweekly since she's moved here?"

How did _he_ know that? I bit my lip, spinning around and moving to the other end of the bar, so Andy could speak more freely, and Sookie could take these margaritas. Two rum n' cokes and a martini were on their way.

"Yep," Sam said, "She's got family up there."

Was he lying for me? Okay, I had to put a stop to this now. I turned around, and before I could speak Andy did, "What kind of family lives in a vampire bar."

"The vampire kind," Sam said, smiling. "It's not like I want her down there, but she's harmless."

No, I wasn't harmless.

"Nothing happened until she showed up." That is true, but just a coincidence. Godric didn't kill himself until I showed up. It's not like I wanted that to happen.

Sam laughed a little, leaning down, "Andy, she didn't do anything. She's no vampire."

"That doesn't mean she doesn't know one."

"Fuck you, Andy," Sam said, surprisingly coolly. I could tell he was mad; he wasn't very good at hiding it.

"Sam!" I whispered under my breath. Andy didn't hear me, or if he did he didn't say anything.

The last thing I—or Eric—needed was a detective snooping around our snooping around. It's not like this guy was going to be able to take on some Dallas vamps. He might as well kill himself now. I don't know anyone who's that stupid.

But, here sat Andy Bellafleur, who suspected me of helping a bunch of vamps drain civilians.

Under more normal circumstances, I would be offended, but, honestly, being a suspect made me feel kinda badass. This was especially because I didn't do a thing. Obviously, Andy didn't know of my other employer, which was enough to allow me to talk my way out of it before Eric found out.

"Well, let's see what she says," Andy said, looking in my direction, "Miss?"

"Mister?" I said, turning around and giving the most gracious smile I could muster, "Did you change your mind about that drink?"

"Um, no," he said, "Actually I have a couple of questions for you."

"Oh, really?" I asked, leaning down on the bar, turning my head to the side, "Whatever I can do, I guess…"

"What the fuck," Sam whispered as he passed behind me, finishing up my drinks.

Andy coughed, and I tried to maneuver my arms to make my breasts look bigger—anything that would help. I felt kind of… wrong, doing this, but it was either make this detective attracted to me, and make him think I wouldn't hurt a fly, or have Eric glamour him.

I _hated_ it when Eric glamoured people.

"Why were you in Shreveport last weekend?"

"I had a meeting with the owner of the bar."

"Really?"

"Yep."

"Sam said you had family there."

I swallowed, looking down, "Well, Sam doesn't actually know the whole story, detective." He smiled a bit, he liked being called 'detective.' "My little sister used to live around here, and like a month before I moved down… she disappeared from Shreveport. She used to go to that bar a lot, and I swing by whenever I get some spare time and talk to some people see if anyone's seen her. I _know_ it's unlikely that…" I looked down, swallowed, squished my eyes together as if I was fighting back tears, "…that I'll find her, or whatever. I mean, vampires are bad news, I know. I just… I just have this feeling that if I do nothing, nothing is going to happen. So, I do have family there… in a way."

"Holy shit," Sam muttered under his breath, eyes wide from what I understood as shock from my amazing tale. I almost smiled, but kept myself under control—I didn't even glance at him.

Andy coughed again, "I didn't know that."

"Well, no one did," I shrugged sheepishly, "And honestly, I'd like to keep it that way. I don't want people around here feeling sorry for me, or anything…"

"No, no," Andy said, "I understand. I'm sorry to take you away from work."

"Oh, it's no problem," I said, nodding, "Have a nice night!"

As soon as the door shut, I exhaled and turned to Sam. "Fuck you," he muttered, coming up and wrapping an arm around my waist, "That was magnificent."

"You really think so?" I asked, smiling and leaning in to kiss him, and then remembering we were in public and spinning out of his grasp, "Sam!"

"Sorry," he said, sighing and flashing me a grin as he bent down to pick up another glass from a lower shelf.

"It was your opinion to keep this out of the bar," I said.

He shrugged, "No one knows you yet. If they found out we were together, people may have gotten the wrong idea."

"People know me."

"Not very well."

"There's not much to know," I shrugged, "Nothing worth telling."

He glanced over, "Your crazy-ass life has nothing worth telling?"

"Not really," I shrugged, "My childhood is too messy. My time in Dallas is too deep. And my time here gets me put up as a suspect for murder," I giggled, "There's nothing worth telling."

"Too deep?"

"I worked in a vamp bar back in Dallas. And not one like Fangtasia, a real high-class place, where even the human clientele were fucking richer than you would ever believe," I smiled, "That's where I met the guy who sent me here, actually."

"What'd you do in a vamp bar?" he asked in hushed tones, calling Arlene over and loading drinks onto her tray, and then spinning and scooting me over so that Mrs. Fortenberry—who was sipping a vodka tonic and eavesdropping like you wouldn't _believe_—couldn't hear us.

I rolled my eyes, "What type of person do you think I am? I was entertainment."

His eyes got wide, "_What?_"

"Sam," I said, "What the fuck are you thinking? I was a _singer_."

"Like music?" he asked, wiping out a glass.

I scoffed, "Duh."

"Seriously?" he asked, eyebrows raised. I nodded.

"No, I'm lying," I snapped, "Geez. Is it really that hard to believe?"

"Yeah," Sam said, "It is."

I popped one of those little paper umbrellas into a drink and looked over, "You're not going to make me do it. So don't even try."

"Fiiiiine," Sam said, "But now, I'm not going to believe a word you say. There's no reason for me to."

I laughed, "'Course there isn't, _Fido_."

"Shouldn't you be leaving by now?" he asked, leaning against the bar, "I thought Tara was coming in today."

"She was," I said, "At least, according to Lafayette she was supposed to come in tonight. I don't know what one would be doing on a _Thursday_, but apparently she had some family business she needed to attend to." I turned, "I'm guessing you can figure out the rest on your own, you have a knack for finding things out."

"You think so?"

"Yep," I said, "I should hit it though, so… good luck tending the bar all by yourself."

"What else could you possibly be doing on a _Thursday_?" he asked, laughing.

"Checking up on Lafayette, and then talking to Pam," She sighed, "And then sleeping, finally."

"Keeping up two jobs is really hurting you, isn't it?" He mused. It sounded like a joke, but there was truth behind it. There was a part of him, a small part, he wasn't totally naïve, that hoped that I would just quit my work with Eric all together.

Unfortunately, that wasn't happening.

"Yeah, my boss is a real hard-ass."

"Which one?"

"Later, Boss!" I called, walking out of the bar and running towards my car.

"Lafayette!" I yelled, opening the door and walking in, "I've got fifteen, get me up-to-date before I visit you-know-who."

He walked back in, "Will you shut your pretty ass up! I've got a friend in the back who doesn't take to kindly to hearing crazy white girls yellin' in my house."

"Well, I'm sorry about that," I said, "How much is gone."

"All of it," he said, "People in this town are getting antsy, shit calms 'em down."

My eyes were huge, "_All of it_? That shit isn't cheap, you know, and I'm not talking literally."

"I'm a good salesman," he said, "Sue me."

"Fuck that," I said, "You got the vial?"

He tossed it to me, "Yeah, and we're going to need a lot more."

I slid the vial into my pocket, "No shit," I rolled my eyes, "Guess I've gotta make it down to Shreveport—"

"Hey," he said, "My friend is staying the night… so if—"

"Fine," I said, "You can take the house. Trust me, I wouldn't want to be here anyway," I smiled.

Ne nodded approvingly, "Good luck."

"Thanks," I muttered, turning and walking out the door, sliding into my car and turning on the radio. "This is crazy," I looked at the vial. Do _that_ many people really buy this stuff? It was full last week, and is gone, just like that. How many people in this little bo-dunk town actually get high off _vampire blood_?

Ew. That's disgusting.

The last thing I wanted to know was how messed up the people around here were.

I sighed, I did know how messed up they were. It's not like I was the poster child of normality. I was a shifter—uncommon on its own—working for a vampire—practically unheard of in the shifter community—and on top of that I'm dating another shifter who hasn't told anyone he's a shifter.

Fuck, I guess I never realized how crazy things were.

And I wasn't necessarily trustworthy, I could sympathize with Sam on that level, not telling people what he was.

It made sense. It's hard to live among humans without being human, and that's the goal: blending.

Living with others like me was… not what I wanted. Shifters were much too crazy for me, they and the other supes seem to be in a world completely outside my own, and they're all obsessed with each other.

Shifters fighting werewolves fighting vampires fighting… everything—all hiding from humans.

I also hated werewolves. Repulsive.

I turned off the car, stepping out of it and into the dimly lit parking lot of Fangtasia, walking up to Pam.

"Hey."

"You smell like dog."

"You look nice, too," I said, "I'm here for pickup."

"Why don't you go hump someone's leg?" she snarled.

I rolled my eyes, "Oh, Pammy, I'm not a dog. I'm a fox. There's a definite difference."

Her eyebrow peaked, and show moved to the side, following me into the bar, "You _do_ smell like a dog."

"You _do_ dress like a skank," I muttered, "Eric!"

I checked his throne. There he sat, entertaining some pretty lil' thing as she sat in front of him, wide-eyed. She held that same blank look of some crazy feeling of fear and intrigue and pure lust. I will admit, Eric was… charming in his own right, but the idea of _sleeping_ with him made me puke in my mouth.

"Eric," I snapped, "A moment of our time?"

"In a bit, shifter."

"Oh, don't get all high and mighty with me, excuse me, miss," I said, grabbing her shirt and pulling her to the side, "Pam, keep her occupied, god knows how angry the baby gets without that set of keys to entertain him."

"You're in a splendid mood," he said, fangs poking out from the sides of his mouth.

"Showing off?" I asked, "I'd appreciate it if you put those things away so we can have a conversation."

"What do you need."

I tossed him the vial, "Our friend is low again."

"It's all gone."

"All of it," I said, "Which, in my opinion, should raise some questions. Lafayette does not sell this shit cheap, believe me, and on top of that, the fact that so much of that small town in the middle of fuckin' nowhere drains that much in that amount of time scares me half to death."

He smiled, "That's smart."

"I know," I said, "But, I need to go find a place to sleep tonight, so…"

"Do you think you could give us a list of his clients?"

"Why would you need one?"

He didn't answer, just kept staring at me.

"I'll ask Lafayette," I sighed, "Now, I've got to go."

"Pam," he said, motioning her over, "Take Addie, here, to the back, give her what she came for."

"Don't call me that."

He smiled, "When do I get to meet your boyfriend?"

"You already have," I snapped.

"Boyfriend?" Pam asked.

I spun, "_You didn't tell her_?" I broke into a smile, giggling a little, "Is this like, a present, or something?"

"That's the smell," he said, looking back at his cohort with a devilish smirk.

"There is no smell," I sneered, "And if she comes within near a mile of Sam I will personally put a stake through her chest, don't you _dare_ test me."

He looked surprised, she didn't. "Sam Merlotte—the shifter who came in here, with the children."

"Fuck me," I whispered, "Eric, I _implore_ you, keep her away from him."

"Then," he said, "introduce us. I deserve to meet him, I think. We're practically siblings." He was made by Godric, and Godric saved my life. In a twisted way, he was right, but in a much more literal, much more everlasting way, he was very, very wrong.

"No," I said, "We're not. I am not a vampire. I was not _made_, I was just looked after. There are definite differences."

I turned and started towards his office, Pam arriving there before I did, flaunting her vampire powers. It wasn't like I could retaliate, turn into a fox just to spite her. If she would even care about that.

"He was cute, for a shifter," Pam said, offering me a sly smile as she handed me the red vial, "But he wasn't too bright." She chuckled, "I assume you two are just perfect for each other."

I stuffed the vial in my bag, turning abruptly, "Suck it, Vampira."

"I plan to," she called after me.

"Might want to pull your head out of Eric's ass first," I snapped, practically stomping out of the bar.

I walked past Eric, "I'll bring him if you _promise_ to stay on your best behavior."

"Aren't I always?"

I shook my head on the way out, muttering, "And I'm just a little princess."

"Glad you agree," he shouted after me, and I stomped out of the bar, throwing open my car door in a mixture of anger and frustration and then slamming it hard, subsequently ramming my elbow into my side because I wasn't paying attention.

"FUCK," I yelled, falling back into the seat and turning on the car, slamming on the gas and driving away from that place, stopping at the only place I think I could stop at.

"Sam?" I said, sounding much louder than I really needed to be, but he was already outside.

"Heard your car," he said, walking towards me, "You okay?"

"Fuck no," I said.

"Well," He said, "What's the problem?"

I kicked the ground, "How the hell can you be so damn happy all the time, when we live in a fucking _crazy_ place, in which I'm now being derided as a _dog_ by my mortal—no, that's immortal—enemy and I have to showcase my new boyfriend to fucking _Eric_, like he's my father or something, all because of fucking _Godric_, who decided to go around and kill himself because being immortal is such a _pain_. Well, you know what? That's too fucking bad! Things get tough for me too, but do I kill myself? Hell no, I get the fuck over it and deal."

"So, how's Eric?" Sam asked, bypassing me and walking to his trailer, trying to hide the smile on his face.

I followed him, running around him and standing on the steps, "Can I stay with you tonight? Lafayette is… entertaining."

"Are you going to keep yelling at me?" He teased.

"Probably," I growled, "I mean, I can't believe him! He treats me like I'm a child!"

"The way you argue with that Pam, I can't really blame him."

"Don't sympathize with him," I snapped, "Besides, Pam started it."

"And that's mature thinking."

I rolled my eyes, "He wants me to bring you to him. I don't know _why_, seeing as the two of you have already met, which was something Pam made me especially aware of. Bitch."

"I don't see a problem with it," he said, shrugging and moving me to the side, opening the door, "And yes, you can stay."

"Thank you," I said, "I do. First of all, you have vampires—don't tell me you _don't_ because you do. And Eric is fucking crazy, and if you hate vampires, you must hate crazy vampires. And on top of that, Pam called you cute. You're not cute!"

"I'm not?" he asked, turning quickly, "You sure you want to stay tonight?"

"I mean, you're _adorable_," I said, "Gorgeous, even," I smiled a bit, and then frowned, "But she can't call you that."

He smiled and let me in, "Well isn't that just sweet?"

"Almost sickly," I said, "I threatened her. To Eric. And I was serious. I don't usually do that," I walked in, tossing my bag on the floor and looking around, "Nice place."

"It's a piece of shit," he said, "You threatened her? What could you possibly do to a vampire?"

"I believe I said something to the effect of, 'personally putting a stake through her chest'," I shut my eyes, "Jesus, what the hell is wrong with me?"

"Are you calm enough now that we can backtrack on all of what you said earlier?"

"Nope," I said, "I want to… relax." I leaned against the wall, "You really don't mind seeing him?"

"No," he said, shaking his head, "Don't care," he walked over, kissing me.

"Nuh-uh," I said, "This is not a sex thing. I'm legitimately angry," I pushed him back, kissing his nose, "Let's put on some lame-o movie. Popcorn?"

"Shelf above the fridge," he sighed, "You're positive about the sex thing?"

"Damn, just keep it in your pants," I grinned, "Maybe later, of course. I _am_ staying the night."

"I like the positive attitude," he said. I put the popcorn in the microwave, pressing start and turning to look at him.

"It's not staying. We're going to come up with a reason you can't see him."

"We don't have to," he said, "I don't mind meeting your boss."

I sighed, "The only reason he wants to meet you is some macho bullshit. Sam, you don't totally understand the dynamics of my relationship with Eric."

"_What_ do you mean?" He snapped, head flying in my direction.

I sighed, "Not like _that_," I couldn't even imagine what he was thinking. He couldn't possibly believe that I would ever, EVER, do…. That. A romantic relationship with Eric would be impossible. A sexual one would make me hurt myself. "That's beyond disturbing, Sam. Far beyond."

"Good," he said, rolling his eyes and flipping through the TV channels, "So, what do you mean?"

"Godric, the fellow I mentioned earlier," I relayed, "Was Eric's _maker_."

His eyebrow flickered upwards, "Like, vampire-maker?"

"Yup," I said, "And Godric liked me. We were close. He was a great person—very solid. Wise," I looked over at Sam, to make sure his jealousy wasn't flaring up. "He offered himself up to the Fellowship of the Sun, _which_," I turned to face him, after opening up the microwave and holding the popcorn bag, "was incredibly stupid. This is why he sent me away. He _knew_ I would tell him it was stupid, which should have been a huge reason _not_ to do so," I looked down, "He almost died, at the hands of some crazy, scripture-yelling, sweaty little man who wasn't even worth a second of Godric's time," I opened the popcorn and searched for a bowl, "But, Eric, and your friend Sookie, and Bill," I found a bowl, emptying the bag of popcorn into it, "saved him, so he could go up onto the roof of his building and _meet the sun_, like the end of some fucking demented fairytale. And, he failed to mention _any_ of this to me."

Sam's eyes weren't on the TV, yet his finger was still hitting the channel-up button. "I'm sorry."

"I know," I smiled, "I got the news from Eric. He was pretty beat-up about it, I, of course, overreacted to the extreme."

"What'd you do?"

"Freaked the fuck out and started kicking the side of the bar. Left a dent," I grinned.

"Sweet," Sam said, falling back and sitting on the bed.

"I think it so," I smiled, handing him the bowl as he turned on some old horror flick. I went to my bag, pulling off my T-shirt and trading it for a tank top, grabbing a pair of shorts—well, a pair of pants that were cut off about the knee after I ripped a huge hole in the left knee. "Godric was more important to Eric than he was to me, of course. In the vampire world, it's as if he lost a piece of himself. It's like what it feels like to lose a parent. So, I was sympathetic, but I was more pissed off at Godric for ditching me and leaving me with Eric, and more sad because I'd lost yet another best friend."

"It's not the worst thing in the world, though," he said, looking over at me as I walked and sat next to him, leaning my head on his shoulder, "I mean, none of that, none of this," he said, and I could feel his lips press against the top of my head.

"Oh, isn't that romantic," I said, leaning up and kissing him, "I know this isn't easy to take in, but I want to debrief you on my life before we sit down with you-know-who."

"Don't compare Eric to _the dark lord_," Sam said, "That's so nerdy."

"You like Harry Potter?"

"Got the movies from Arlene, her little girl got rid of them after she watched the fifth and saw Harry kiss Cho. She got jealous."

I laughed, "I've never really been into Harry. I'm much more of a Weasley type of girl—when I was little I was in love with those twins. Which brings me to the question: _why_ are we watching an alien movie when we could be watching harry potter and still discussing how I can keep you the hell away from Eric Northman?"

He sighed, getting up and dropping in front of the TV, popping in the first DVD he found, suddenly turning towards my bag, "What's that smell?"

"What smell?" I asked, watching him stand up and walk towards my bag, picking it up and glancing at me.

"This bag smells like vampire," he said, sniffing.

I giggled, "Down, boy," I got up and grabbed my sack, "I just came from a vampire bar, where I was technically living for months. Of course it'll smell like vampire—DON'T OPEN IT." I screamed, tackling him while he tried to open up my bag.

"Damn!" He yelled, "_What_ is this?" he held up the vial I had just received from Eric, not even needing to try to smell the vampire-scent practically rolling off it. Vampires were _strong_, like you wouldn't believe. They could tell us by smell, and we could do the same to them, easily.

But, Sam finding a vial of vampire blood in my bag was not good at all.

"Nothing," I said, grabbing it, and then retracting my statement, "This is why I don't want you to meet him. My job there isn't as clean-cut as bartending."

"Do you use this?" he asked, "Sell it? What the hell do you think you're doing, Addie? If the wrong vampire finds out about this you're dead!"

My face turned from sheepish to serious, "I _know_ that. I know how to stay out a vampire's way, Sam, it's part of the reason I'm working for Eric in the first place. Don't underestimate me, I'm stronger than I look, and I've… been around vampires for a while. Besides, I _do not_ use this stuff, or sell it. I'm… a… middleman?" I said the last word with a higher inflection, not even really believing the term myself.

"Like a drug dealer?" he asked, as the whimsical harry potter music began to play in the background.

"Like a drug dealer," I nodded, "Except I don't deal, I think we can both guess who does that."

"Lafayette."

"Yeah, Eric kidnapped him not too long ago, and one of the terms of letting him go was that he would sell _for_ Eric. I dunno why, but he is. I mean, it was Sookie who got him out, at least, that's what Lafayette said, but then Eric made Lafayette drink some of his blood, so there's no way he's ever going to escape him."

"Why did he do that?"

"Sookie likes Lafayette, Eric likes Sookie. He's keeping tabs on her, and her boyfriend," I sighed, "Which is reason number _two_ I don't want you meeting him."

"To recap," Sam said, "You don't want me seeing Eric because you don't want me to find out you're a drug dealer, and you don't want him to….?"

"It's like his hobby is finding ways to inject himself into my life, thus messing it up," I grabbed his hand, "I don't want him messing us up," I smiled, "Understand?"

He smiled, "If you were more honest in the first place, I would better," he muttered.

"Don't lecture me on honesty, Sam," I smiled, "We're both dirty liars."

"Whatever," he said, dragging me back onto the bed so we could watch the movie. I popped a piece of popcorn, "So, anything else you have yet to tell me?"

"We'll find out," I muttered, "I have _stories_, but—"

"But what?"

"But I have an idea," I said, smiling, "Why are you still wearing jeans? Do you sleep in jeans? I understand the pull, but… that's impractical."

"I'd have to get up to change," he muttered, "And you are just so comfortable," he said, leaning his head on mine, opening his mouth as I crammed popcorn into it. "Thank you."

"Change," I said, "I've given you fuel."

He got up, and my eyes drifted away from watching the antics of Harry, Hermione, and Ron in order to watch as Sam pulled off his shirt to exchange it for another, a surprisingly snug T-shirt that made me smile, he dug through his drawers, glancing over at me—my gaze quickly jumped back to Hogwarts, and then slid back just in time for a pair of pants to hit my face.

"Sorry," he said, "What is your idea?"

I grabbed the pants, "Truth or dare?"

"Oh come on, how old are you?" he asked, reaching for his article of clothing, which I hid behind my back.

"Twenty-three," I smiled, "Truth. Or. Dare?"

"Truth," he muttered, "I don't want to know what your mind would consider an appropriate dare."

"Fine," I said, "What do I want to know… Oh, this is good. How and why did you first meet Eric?"

"I knew this was coming," he groaned, "It's really, really complicated."

"So is the answer to a ton of the questions I know are coming for me," I smiled, "So, how?"

He looked over at me, "You know what a maenad is?"

"That's not funny, Sam," I said, throwing a piece of popcorn at him.

"I'm not joking," he said, "Her name was Maryann, she showed up here for a few months, fucked up the whole damn town," he looked serious, but I couldn't help from laughing.

"Here? In Bon Temps? Why?" I wasn't buying it, and in all honesty, I was impressed with his quick thinking.

"Well," he sighed, "That's where things get complicated. When I was a kid, seventeen, I was roaming around and I stumbled in to this house."

"Why?"

"I needed money," he said, "I didn't have some vampire to fell back on."

"Excuse me," I muttered.

"The woman there was Maryann, and that night she got some crazy idea that if she killed me—"

"As a sacrifice to Dionysus, she would finally meet her God and live in an eternal, orgasmic nirvana," I nodded my head, "You slept with her, didn't you?"

He didn't answer.

"So, teenage Sam ran around robbing houses and sleeping with lonely older women, hm?"

He got angry, telling me that I was wrong, and that he didn't even really know what was happening. It made sense, really, maenads were extremely… _crazy_. At least, that what I learned from books.

"She came all the way here, took hold of Tara, made the whole town go insane—she killed me, almost, Bill brought me back to life."

"And yet the two of you still don't exactly get along."

"It's better than it was," he said, "Point is, I went to Eric to see if he knew how to kill her."

"And he didn't, because Eric's a dumbass."

"No," he smiled, "He didn't."

He took his pants, pulling them on quickly and sitting down next to me.

"Truth or dare?" he asked.

"Dare," I said.

He thought for a second, "Dare you to kiss me."

I kissed his cheek, and he raised an eyebrow, "Specifics, Sam. Truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"I dare you…. To…" I got up and started walking around his trailer, opening cabinets until, "Eat one of these."

"One of—_that's_ not funny."

"Oh, yes it is," I said, shaking the box of Milkbones and grinning, "It's both funny _and_ ironic."

"Those aren't even mine, you should ask the dog permission," he said.

I shook my head, "Oh, he wouldn't mind. Here, would you like me to get you a plate?"

"Addie-"

"Hey, just because you weren't _creative_—"

"Fine," he said, walking over and taking the treat, popping it into his mouth, and then throwing a hand over it.

"Aw, it _is_ bacon flavored."

He chewed, and chewed, and chewed, and then swallowed. I leaned over a little, checking to make sure he was okay, "That's actually not that bad," he said.

"Really?"

"Yeah, wanna try one?" He grinned, grabbing the box and digging in it.

"No!" I squeeled, running past him.

"Truth or dare?" he commanded, spitting into the sink, "And, by the way, I wouldn't recommend those."

"You sure? We could deep fry 'em and serve them at the bar. Tons of people would order them."

"Not funny."

"Truth."

"Fuck," he said, looking up at me, "Okay… How did you meet that Godric guy?"

"I already told you. I was singing at that club, we talked for a little, he knew what I was, and then shortly after I left he found out I was living in my car—"

"Nice car?"

"The one that's in your front yard."

"Damn," he said, "Then he took you in?"

"Not necessarily," I said, "I didn't accept anything at first, but he kept coming back to check up on me. He said he didn't understand why I was doing that, when I could so easily take the normal way out, and _steal_," I shot him a glance.

"Okay. Cool."

I looked at him curiously. Sam hating vampires and Sam thinking my life with Godric was 'cool' were two totally unrelated and out-of-character concepts. It could have been his jealousy acting up—him going all revserse psychology on the subject, pretending that he was fine with everything to make me feel better. It was sweet, but unnecessary. "Cool?"

"Well, not cool," he said, "I'm just glad someone was looking out for you all that time."

"Oh, we're being protective, not passive aggressive," I nodded, "Truth or dare."

"Truth," he said, "Fuck no to all dog biscuits."

I thought, leaning back, "What are you terrified of?"

He thought for a moment, "Losing someone."

"That's deep."

"I know," he said, lips quirking into a smile. He kissed my cheek, "Truth or dare?"

"Um… let's go dare."

"I'm thinking kiss again," he grinned, "Especially since I haven't gotten the chance to brush my teeth yet."

"EW!" I said, pushing him back, but he came forward and caught my lips.

I wasn't going to lie, I could barely taste any trace of dog delicacies, and that was after his tongue invaded my mouth. So, plus for me. I pulled him on top of me, quickly ridding myself of those pesky clothes, and allowing him to quickly do the same.

* * *

**SO! What'd you think? Was it nice? I hope that it was. And I hope that you review.**

**Do that, REVIEW!**

**Annnnnd, there's actual stuff happening next chapter, so… be ready for that.**


	8. Chapter Eight

**Hey! This is a long one, I promise you. It's also probably riddled with typos. And, it gets the action started. So, I like it so far, and I hope you do as well. I'm sorry for the delay! I really, really, really am.**

* * *

**Chapter Eight: Portions for Foxes**

* * *

We were lying in the bed of my truck, outside Fangtasia, in that pretty time of day where the entire sky darkened and saturated into vibrant streaks of warm colors and the occasional burst of cloud. It was romantic, really, even more so if you included the fact that I was panting still from our recent tryst. The fact of the matter was that Sam and I really just _could not_ get enough of each other. It was like some little Sam-loving imp was constantly toying with the back of my mind, devilish grin planted firmly on its face.

It was crazy. Moments after we'd kiss, I'd be leaning in; eagerly seeking another like I'd already forgotten how he tastes. Or, as his lips slid to my neck and began in that frenzied jumble of sucking and nipping, he'd pull me close against his chest as if, if he let go, I'd just float away. And each time I unbuttoned his shirt, I was still faced with such impatient clumsiness that it seemed an almost impossible task. It was like every time we were together it was totally new, and that made it all just so ridiculously appealing that it was hard _not_ to just… give in to temptation.

I had never, in my entire life, been like this with anyone. And honestly, it was a little scary. I mean, it could all just be the shifting jumping into question, creating this heated, almost _magnetic_ energy between us like you wouldn't even believe. But I wasn't so sure. It was just so normal with Sam. Things weren't as ridiculous as they were with Godric, and they weren't as fake as with my human boyfriends—

Sam wasn't my boyfriend, was he? I told Eric he was. Well, Eric assumed he was. But… it didn't feel like he was my _boyfriend_, but more like he was just… something else.

Sam propped himself up on his elbow, hand sliding down my abdomen and lifting up my shirt. I quirked an eyebrow, and peered over at him as his hands lightly traced my hip. I bit my lip for a moment, muffling slightly a soft giggle, "What are you doing?"

Surprised, he glanced up at me, "You ticklish?"

I shook my head, "No. You're just funny."

He just smiled, and I continued with my inquisitive study of him as he examined me, "This a birthmark?"

I could feel my lips spread into a slightly embarrassed smile, "Uh, yeah. I think it looks like a skull. Kinda badass."

"It's cute." He laughed, a breathy kind of laugh, pulling himself up a bit and kissing me. I slid my hips to the side to allow him some more room, and returned the act whole-heartedly, reveling in the feel of his scruff against my chin and the thin, hot, fabric beneath my fingertips.

I disconnected us soon, grabbing his wrist from my side and checking his watch. "It's not cute, it looks like a mini Rorschach test."

"Well," he grinned, "It's not like it's something you go around putting on display," he thought aloud, "So who cares?"

"I didn't say I cared," I said, clarifying, "I just simply disagree. Besides, the only reason you like it is because of its _location_." The thing was placed just beneath my underwear line, and I had a hunch that his affections for it came from tugging on the side of the thin fabric to reveal the mark.

"You've just gotta be right _all the time_, don't ya'?" he asked. I nodded, shrugging my shoulders in a way that said, 'You should know this by now.' "You're lucky you're pretty."

"Oh, how cute," I muttered, rolling my eyes, "I'm glad you can put up with me."

"The sex helps," he replied simply.

"You're such a _charmer_."

"I was under the impression that that was why you liked me," he said, as I slid myself up to a half-sitting, half-laying type of position.

"Nah," I rolled my eyes, "I just figured I wasn't gonna do any better."

"Ouch," he muttered looking around, "Between you and me," he muttered, "You probably could do better."

"Realizing that more and more by the moment, sweetie," I teased, looking up and groaning a bit, "I _really_ don't want it to get dark."

"Why not?" he said, "I don't see this as any big deal, Ads. You may be blowing it out of proportion."

I shook my head, "You don't get it. I… I don't know, maybe I'm just afraid of what _could_ happen in there. Whatever. We'll see, right?"

He nodded, "We've got nothing to worry about."

"Let's hope so," I muttered. I suppose I was mainly just scared that he'll freak out once he gets some realistic insight into my life. After all, while I've _tried_ to prepare him for now, I still haven't been completely honest with him. I don't know what my problem is, but I can't talk to Sam without exaggerating or leaving out some specific pieces of information. "Let's hope Eric thinks I'm pretty too, and therefore doesn't want to hurt my tender human feelings."

"Then we've really got nothing to worry about," he smirked, "I love how nervous you are. It's hilarious."

"You think it is _until_ we have to go inside and see the big scary vampire," I sighed, "I have the feeling that you're thought will change once we enter the bar. So, you'll have to stop loving for the moment." I wasn't sure if that sentence actually made any sense. Actually, I wasn't really sure if anything I was saying was making much sense. I just wanted to get this all over with and move the hell on.

He shrugged, smirking like he was proud of himself and effectively ignoring my failed attempt at mocking his gentle intentions, "I don't think so. I mean, I love your nose," he muttered, tapping it's upward point playfully, "And your lips," his hand slid down, fingers dancing atop my mouth for a mere moment, and I could feel my body tense as all of its focus moved to his travelling fingers, which traced down my neck and laughed, "And I think we both know how I feel about _these_," he slid past my breasts, his eyes looking to me as I let out a heavy, noiseless laugh. His fingers moved down my stomach, "and _god_," he met my eyes, "do I love your legs." His hand finally came to a rest on my thigh. "Ads, you are so damn beautiful," he looked over at me, shaking his head back and forth as if this was something I did not understand. He glanced over at the bar, face clouding a bit as he thought. I wanted to kiss him again, but didn't want to break his concentration. So, I just tried to content myself with just watching him as he thought, trying to shoo away the warm feeling in my chest that I was so unaccustomed to, and the _incredible_ attraction to him that was developing in more ways than my human brain could describe, only feel with such intensity, that as the night descended around us I was cursing every second that brought us closer to Eric Northman.

Sam was just so… cute. So sweet, and so _not_ the type of guy I usually find myself sleeping with. That's why I didn't want to ruin any of this by letting him know _too_ much about me at once. So, I exaggerated the type of bar I worked at when I met Godric, I mean… I didn't want to tell Sam that I was one of plenty of young women who worked at a Burlesque club in Dallas. Can you imagine his reaction to that? It would not be pretty. Nor would be his reaction when he found out the extent of my relationship with Godric, even a few kisses would seem like _blasphemy_ to Sam, and I was just too terrified of losing him right now to tell him the truth.

I wasn't in love with Sam, or anything. I didn't know what my feelings towards him were, exactly, but I knew that I did not want to fuck this up yet.

I sat up more, catching his attention without meaning to. His head swiveled to the side, "Did I surprise you? You're awfully quiet." He smirked, thinking that he was oh-so clever by catching me a tad off-guard earlier.

"I know I'm hot, Sam," I tried to joke, but failed a bit on the delivery, sounding a lot more pathetic than I wanted to. He didn't seem to pick up on it though, so perhaps that was just me, "I don't know, I just don't think I'm very good at this relationship… _stuff_," I tried to explain, "I mean, it's all kind of new to me."

"I can tell," he said sarcastically, sitting up himself and tugging on the collar of his T-Shirt, "You know, if you think in a technical sense, this would be our first date."

I laughed, "Oh, how quaint," looking over at him with a grin, "And kinda disturbing," I added, hoping to lighten the mood even further and avoid saying something stupid.

"Ah, don't be nervous," he jumped off the truck and situated himself in front of me, leaning in and kissing me with enough gusto that I wasn't really that nervous anymore. Point for Sam.

"I love kissing you, for the record," I whispered afterwards, leaning forward and kissing him again. I put my mind on attempting to just focus on the time being, and put my worried lil' head to rest.

He chuckled, "I know."

"I want this to be a _good_ first date," I said, "So… let's ditch Eric?" I grinned, leaning forward and quickly touching his lips.

"Funny," Sam said, and the two of us started towards the bar.

Walking inside of Fangtasia, I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach. It was the kind of feeling where you just know things are not going to turn out the way you want them to; no matter how hard you try to turn things in your favor. I didn't know what exactly it was that I wanted to happen, but I knew that what was going to occur tonight wasn't worth looking forward to. But I'd put it off long enough. It'd been about a month since I promised Eric I'd bring Sam by, and it was officially now or never. But, that didn't make me calm in the slightest.

After all, this is Eric we're talking about. And, while I didn't know Eric exceptionally well, I knew him well enough to know that he was going to make this meeting difficult. No matter the soft spot he harbored for me primarily because of our shared comrade, he still got his kicks from pissing me off. Not that doing that was any difficult task, of course. He and Godric were surprisingly alike, I'd realized. Godric was considerably nicer, of course, and he was the one who (for some reason I will never fully understand) salvaged the last few pieces of my broken life and fashioned them into something not altogether horrible. Eric would never have done that for me. But, they both seem to enjoy having me around, and they both view me the same way. It's not as if I'm directly involved in Eric's life, more like a fixture he could watch after whenever he pleased.

And despite my disdain for him, I was growing accustomed to having him around. I would even venture to say I was starting to like the man. I hoped that he wouldn't ruin this important change in our friendship by being a total asshole.

I was holding Sam's hand, which was not doing much to calm me down. I suppose that after sex, the simplicity of hand-to-hand contact loses its buzzing charms. It still felt good to have him here, like I was finally truly acquainting him with the part of me he had yet to really meet. The mature side, the one pessimistic one, the one who wasn't afraid to run with vampires.

He didn't really know that part of me. And I think that before things get serious, if they were going to get serious, if they even _could_ get serious, he should know that I'm really not… who he thinks I am.

"Hey," Sam said softly, stopping me feet away from the entrance, so close that I could see inside, and feeling bubbling anxiety start to fill my gut. He spun me around and tucked my hair behind my ear smiling lazily, all such a strong yet comforting contradiction to myself—who was literally freaking out. I hoped it didn't show. "You gonna calm down?" Apparently, it showed.

I took a breath, and rolled my eyes, "I'm fine."

He raised his eye brows and turned his head slightly to the side, which made me smile because it reminded me _so much_ of a freaking dog. I don't think he was doing it on purpose, which made me smile even more. "You are real shitty liar, you know that?"

"I'm not lying, Sam," I said, and even I thought I sounded too defensive.

He laughed, "You know, it's not like I haven't met the guy before. You're not toting me into some new and dangerous situation."

"Then why would he want to see you again?"

Sam thought for a moment, "Probably because he secretly hates you, and plans on killing me tonight after he verifies your deep and unyielding love for me," he grinned, both proud of his statement and amused by it. I didn't grin back. This wasn't a joke. I had no clue why Eric wanted him here, and the real 'why' could be potentially horrible. I could slap him for taking this so easily!

Instead, I ran a hand through my hair, chuckling a bit, "You are not as funny as you think you are, you know that?"

"If that wasn't funny then why the hell are you laughing?" he asked.

I blinked, realizing that I was chuckling, "I'm not." Lies. I needed to snap out of this funk. "Sam, I don't know whatever the hell it is that Eric wants, but I ain't gonna stand here and act like everything's perfectly okay, when it may not be," I said.

"It'll be fine. Hell, last time I was here, I had Arlene's kids with me."

I turned to look at him, jaw dropped, "You brought _children_ here? What the fuck, Sam!"

"It's a long story," he said, shaking the question off, "It happened during Mary Ann's stay, and they're fine, bottom line."

I scoffed, rolling my eyes and walking towards the door, "Yeah, sure. You are a horrible person."

"If ya' thought that, you wouldn't be sleeping with me," he said, running in front of me and holding the door, bowing slightly as I walked in. I smiled, and grabbed his wrist to pull him after me, yet still kind of hoping no one saw that.

"That's what you think."

He came up next to me, growing a bit more serious as we entered the bar. I could tell that despite all his big talk, he was still a bit nervous. After all, Sam Merlotte hated vampires almost as much as I hated Pam.

The only vamp he actually fraternized with would be Bill, because of the whole saving-his-life thing. Sam wasn't aware of Eric operated, he didn't know how powerful he was, and he had _no_ clue how disturbingly close Eric and I were. As much as I hated the former, he and I did share… something. We had this almost unspoken connection. We may ruffle each other's feathers, but at the end of the day, I'd always come back here, even kicking and screaming. We needed each other, Eric and I, and Sam just didn't understand that. Well, yet.

And I wasn't sure if I even wanted him to. If you considered that my relationship with Sam was one completely different than the one I held with Eric, it'd be easier to understand that when I'm with Eric, I'm not the Sam girl as I am with Sam. With Eric, I have a different line for right and wrong, you could say. I'd done things since my running away that I'd never wish Sam to know about, things much worse than simply dealing V, and look at how crazy Sam got over that.

My feelings for Sam were bound to complicate things, and the fact that I was even bringing him here proved to Sam—although he didn't get it—that I cared about him much more than Eric ever figured. After all, Eric most likely assumed that I'd drop the boy as soon as a visit was scheduled. Coming here meant that I was willing to risk all this for him, everything I'd carefully constructed: two separated time zones of night and day, two jobs, two duties, and two sets of rules.

Of course, even though this _was_ such a big deal, I'd never admit that to Sam. For some reason, even the prospect of telling him that I loved him, or even cared for him a great deal, felt somehow cheesy and unnecessary. Maybe I was just too _cool_ for love, hm?

Or I was just an idiot.

Or maybe I just didn't love him. I knew I wanted him around; I loved being with him too much to sacrifice that. But didn't that make this whole situation just so incredibly cruel?

I wasn't sure.

My boyfriend, though "boyfriend" still didn't seem to be the right word, was getting a little finicky. His discomfort, for some reason, made me feel a little better. I supposed that part of it was that I wasn't the only one who was still a bit nervous, though I doubted Sam was nervous for the same reason I was. I couldn't stop thinking about what Sookie said, the whole 'Eric's using you to get to Sam' thing. Eric may not have put this plan into production upon my arrival, but now that it was a prime opportunity to use such a feat, he had the ability. And that made me uneasy.

I also liked Sam's nerves because it made me feel like kind of a bad ass. I mean, come on, my significant other (also not right, this was getting difficult) was afraid of what I did every single day.

I glanced over at him, "You do know they're not going to kill you? Well, Eric won't, and if Pam does, Eric or I will totally stop her."

"Thank you, my mind is perfectly at ease," he muttered, crossing his arms for a moment. Well, he really wasn't too stressed, he thought I was joking, and it seemed to cause him to simmer down.

For a second, I almost hoped Pam attacked him. The prospect of pinning her down and threatening her for a change made me smirk. And, it wasn't as if I couldn't do it. I always, always, always had something silver on hand for just that sort of occasion; it's something Godric taught me.

"You seem a tad stressed, babe," I mumbled, grabbing his hand and leading him towards the back, "At least you're angry, and not nervous like a stupid baby," I rolled my eyes, looking through the creepy crowd of vamp-loving humans and regular ol' vampires, searching for my boss.

He wasn't around. I shrugged, going to the bar and asking for drinks. Sam tagged close behind me, "This place is packed."

"Well, it's a Friday," I said, "Usually is a bit busy." I handed him a beer, "Just chill out, I promise no one will eat you."

"I wouldn't be so sure," came a voice from behind Sam. I saw the man visibly flinch, which made me grin, looking around him to see Pam. "Eric's downstairs. He'll be up soon enough."

"Thanks," I said, grabbing Sam's hand, "Let's go sit, hm?"

"Suuuure," he muttered, "How can you be here all the time? It's full of…"

"Crazies and vampires," I said, nodding, "Well, the Goths aren't all bad. Some of them are kind of fun, don't hate me for my tan. Not all the vampires are mean, either. But there are a fair share of less-than-fun people around. Take Pam, for example," I said, as she walked past the two of us and shot me a look. I jumped up onto a chair at a table for two near Eric's office, and out of the way.

Sam and I started talking, drinking, having an actually okay time. And, for a very short time period, this almost felt like an actual date. That is, until Eric walked out of his office and found the two of us. I, slightly miffed because my nice enough time had been hindered, frowned almost immediately at his appearance. "Oh, don't be so sad, it's been such a long time since we've seen each other," Eric said, smirking.

"I need another beer," I muttered, standing and walking past my boss and back to the bar, contemplating going for something stronger, and then realizing that getting _drunk_ now was most certainly not the answer. So, beer it was.

By the time I got back, my boys were having a legitimate conversation. "I'd heard about your work on the maenad. Impressive," Eric said, now looking quite comfortable in my chair.

"Well, it was all Bill's idea," Sam said shrugging sheepishly and swirling his beer for a second and then glancing over at me as I approached. He smiled, and I did the same, liking the _normality_ of this current situation.

"The fact that you actually went through with it is impressive," Eric said, laughing a little at his own joke. I rolled my eyes.

Sam leaned back in his stool, "I guess I just figured that if I was gonna die, I was gonna die, and there wasn't much I could do about it."

"That sounds like a familiar philosophy," Eric said, "Did you tell him to say that?" he looked up at me.

I shook my head, "Nope. I guess we both feel we have nothing to live for," I glanced to Sam, "How romantic."

"Oh, before I forget," Eric said, holding out a hand expectantly, "Do you have my list?"

I perked up for a second, "Oh!" I dug through my pockets and grabbed the piece of paper, "Lafayette said that he's still gathering clients by the spoonful. The guy is pretty darn popular," I placed the paper in Eric's hand, "And that's… fifteen."

"Good," he nodded, "How many more are there?"

"I've no idea," I answered, and Eric nodded. I looked at him for a moment, before adding, "You promise this isn't going to get him in any trouble, right? I mean, he's a nice guy, Eric."

Eric smiled, "He won't get hurt, Adelyn."

"Thank you," I said politely. I glanced over to Sam and smiled a bit, taking another sip of my beer. He kept watching me, soon making me break down and say, "What?" Slightly embarrassed, I looked down and stepped back a bit, studying my sneakers and hoping Eric didn't sense my nervousness. After all, he'd never seen me with a _boy_ before.

"You're being so nice," he said, turning his head suspiciously, "I kind of like it."

"Eh, don't get used to it," I mumbled, suddenly feeling a hand on my hip. I turned my head, looking into a pair of eyes I did not recognize. The man seemed to not notice the two men in front of me, and took to inspecting a strand of my hair as he asked me across the room for a drink.

He obviously also failed to recognize the beer in my hand. Or, he was just meaning a drink for himself. I didn't personally think I was any special sort of cocktail, in fact, a vampire had never tasted my blood, so I wasn't sure if it was anything special.

But, I did know that this man was eyeing my neck an awful lot, more so than any normal man. Any _normal_ man would have been staring at my boobs.

Sam tensed behind me, and I heard his glass come down sharply against the table. I prayed he wouldn't move.

The vampire currently eyeing me like I was a gorgeous, tall glass of B negative had a friend, who was staring at Eric as if he just walked out of some magazine and into the life of the poor girl. She seemed a bit dazed, so I knew she wasn't like her friend here. She was human.

Too bad I wasn't, huh?

"I'm good over here, thanks," I said, wanting to take another step towards the table. I slid a hand in my pocket, touching the silver there. It was cold, and my suddenly sensitive fingertips shrank from it for a second, but I kept my hand there regardless, staring down the man with his equally cold hand on my hip.

"I don't think you are," he said, inching closer.

I took a breath, "Eric." I really, _really_ hated asking for his help, but I didn't think chaining up a vampire could really be beneficial here.

My new friend became confused for a moment, but Eric had easily brushed aside the young woman pining after him and stood beside me.

"Excuse me," he'd said, using his business voice. I'd grown accustomed to it, as this was not the first time this had ever happened. "But you are not to touch her."

"I just want—" the man started.

Eric had cut him off, "It does not matter. If you touch her, you will be asked to leave. Do you understand?"

The man nodded, and Eric motioned him to walk away. The young lady trotted after him like a drunk. Eric placed a hand on my shoulder and guided me towards his office, motioning for Sam to come after us.

It was weird, but as soon as Eric's hand hit my shoulder, it was like a weight had been lifted off my chest and I could breathe again. Call it habit, after the first few times a vampire had approached me with the idea of lunch, not knowing what exactly I was, I'd been scared to death, and then Eric would swoop in and save me and I'd be fine. It's like that feeling you get when you lean back just a _bit_ too much and you think you're going to fall, and then you scramble forward and realize you're okay, just breathing really hard and adrenaline is just coursing through your veins.

And then you breathe, slowly once, in and out. And you try to calm yourself down.

Eric's hand dropped once we got inside, and I almost felt the beer bottle slip through my fingers. I looked around and grabbed Sam's hand, "Thank you for not doing something stupid."

"Of course," he said, looking at our hands, and then up at Eric, "Does that happen a lot?"

"Too much," Eric said simply, "Mainly newer ones. They don't know why she smells that way yet. Honestly," he said, looking down at the desk before he sat, and looked back up at Sam, "I don't know what it is they see in her."

"You're so kind, Eric," I muttered, plopping myself down in my usual chair.

"Would you rather me find you attractive?" he asked, raising his eyebrows in my direction.

I frowned playfully, "You don't?"

"Don't flatter yourself."

I rolled my eyes, "Well, I'm not your _type_, sure. But, unattractive? That's just mean."

He shook his head, "Maybe I'd find you more appealing if you didn't leave trash in here," he said, crumpling up a bag of Doritos and tossing it effortlessly into the trash can. I'd bet that if you measured, it would be an equal radius from each side. "I can smell these, you realize."

"It's not as if I try to hide them." I leaned back in my chair and rested my ankles on his desk. Eric shot me a look, and I shrugged with an apologetic smile.

"Throwing them away wouldn't kill you," he said, "Why do you eat in _here_, anyway?"

"I like your chair," I muttered.

Eric slid a pencil behind his ear, "No excuse to make this place a mess."

"Well, I apologize for the clutter, Mr. Clean."

"It's because you let her talk to you like that," Pam said upon a sudden entrance. I jumped. Sam chuckled. Pam continued, "That she has such a high opinion of herself."

"I don't have a high opinion of myself," I said quickly.

Eric remained silent, looking between the two of us as we started. Pam snapped back, "For a pet, you have quite the nerve, missy."

I rolled my eyes, "How many times have I told you, Pammy? Condescension does not suit you as well as your pretty lil' shoes. And I'm not a pet."

"'Course not," she said, shaking her head, "You just keep telling yourself that sweetie."

I narrowed my eyes, "And I'm the one with the high opinion of herself."

Eric cleared his throat, "Sam," he said, "I apologize for their behavior. I realize that this is quite unbecoming of the both of them."

Sam's mouth twitched a smile, "Honestly Eric, I'm not surprised. She's always been that way."

"Only when I'm around you," I said thoughtfully, "Godric never saw this side of my personality."

"Oh, he saw another side of you _entirely_," Pam muttered, "One I'm sure your boyfriend is also quite familiar with."

"Oh get your head out of your ass," I said, "I told you, Godric and I never—"

"_slept together_," she cooed, "Doesn't mean you never fucked, sweetie."

"Blow me," I growled, crossing my legs, "You have no idea what the fuck you're talking about."

She rolled her eyes, "Right. And you practically _attacking_ him that night I showed up in Dallas was just my imagination."

"Okay!" I yelled, standing and suddenly feeling Eric magically appear in front of me, holding me back while I yelled, "_I will murder you, you –"_

"Calm down," he said.

"Fuck you!" I yelled, trying to get around him, to no avail, "How could you let her just _say_ shit like that?"

"Because he realizes you're trash."

"How about you take your little—"

"Adelyn," Eric said, turning around and grabbing my wrist, "Stop."

"But—"

"Stop. Pam, go."

"Fine," she said lazily, "Bill and his girl are coming by shortly."

"Excellent," I muttered, slumping against Eric's desk. Pam shot me another look and I couldn't help but just _shout_, "He kissed _me_, you pretentious bitch!"

Eric laughed. Not anything loud, of course, but a short, quiet laugh that would have made me smile if I wasn't so mad.

And then I realized we weren't alone, and Sam had his arms crossed, staring at the floor, unsure of what to say or how to act because I had inadvertently dropped this bombshell on him in unknown territory. I'd taken away his home field advantage, and now he didn't know how to properly yell at me.

I felt horrible.

"Sam," I said quickly, "Let me explain."

He didn't say anything again. Eric looked back at me, "If Bill is coming, I should go, get a few things settled. Do not," he said to me, "Leave."

As soon as Eric shut the door, Sam seemed to explode. "_Kissed you?_" he yelled, running a hand through his hair.

"Yeah," I said weakly, wishing I could do something to make him stop _doing_ that, the staring at the ground.

And when he looked up, I wished he would look back down. He was so mad, and he stood walking away from me, "Why didn't you tell me that?" he shook his head, "That's not something you just _leave out_, unless…" He shut his eyes, "Unless it fucking meant something to you."

"It didn't!" I said quickly, "It was just a really emotional night, and I was under the influence of one to many beverages and Godric's blood, and Godric was freaking out because he was planning on killing himself sort of."

"Then why didn't you just tell me, Addie? What else haven't you said? I mean," he took a breath, calming himself down somewhat, "I don't want to keep finding out this shit anymore. I thought you were being totally honest with me, hell, I was with you."

"Really?" I said, pissed that my honesty was the problem here. "I never _lied_, Sam. I just left out that piece of information. You seriously mean to tell me you have told me _every single thing_ you've ever done!"

"Well—"

"Well nothing! Don't get pissed because I left something out—"

"This isn't _something_, Ads! You made out with a vampire!"

"He's not _just_ a vampire, Sam!" I yelled, "He… was a lot more than that to me. He saved my life, he cared about me when no one else would!"

"I would have!" he yelled, "Fuck! If you wouldn't have left in the first place, none of this would have happened, you know that? If you just fuckin' _said_ anything! Anything at all!"

"Then we wouldn't be here right now, and I would be fucking Jason Stackhouse!" I snapped, "You can't fall in love with a teenager."

"Who gives a shit? I sure don't! I don't see a kid when I look at you, Addie. I never have, not in the way you think. I wasn't in love with you back then, but now… Shit, now I don't even know who you really are, do I?"

"You wouldn't like me if you did," I said, crossing my arms.

"Fuck you for even thinking that was possible," he said, "_I love you_. You know that? Seriously, I'm the asshole who loves you. And apparently, you're still in love with a dead vampire!"

"Fuck _you_," I said angrily, "You know… maybe you're right." Sam's head perked up, and I continued, "Maybe I did love him, and that's why I didn't tell you. But… the way I felt around him… Sam, it's different with you. Not _bad_, different, just different, and… I couldn't tell you about Godric, really, or about the club, or anything else because I was fucking _terrified_ that you'd freak out and leave."

"You were afraid I'd _freak out_?"

"What the fuck do you call what you're doing now?" I yelled.

"You had your tongue down the throat of someone that _eats people_, Addie, how the hell am I supposed to be okay with that?" He paused for a moment, and I couldn't respond. "What else haven't you told me?"

"Sam…"

"Tell me!" he yelled, "Please, just tell me."

I held my arms for a moment, shutting my eyes, "The club he found me in was a Burlesque bar, not anything fancy. I exaggerated. I did sing, though. Nightly. The first night I met Godric, he heard me sing 'Maybe This Time' from Cabaret. It was like he knew I wasn't twenty-one, and started talking to me, ended up saving my life one night, and _bam_, I got into a new line of work. And," I shut my eyes, "In this line of work, I've… Sam, I've done bad things. To humans and vampires alike. I'm not proud of any of it, but… I… I think that's why Godric sent me away, because he _cared_ about me." I shut my eyes, "It's all done now. I like… I like you too much to pull you into any of it, _that's_ why I didn't tell you. So, please… can we just drop it?"

"Addie," he said, much more quietly.

"Please!" I said loudly, "God damn it, Sam. Do you fucking _trust_ me now? You have anything you'd like to share?"

"I've only loved one other person," he mumbled.

"Please do not say it," I said, "I know. Lafayette told me."

"He tell you we kissed?" he said, "Just once. On a date when she was fighting with Bill."

"At least Godric was bearable," I muttered, "That's disgusting."

He walked up to me, "I love you," he kissed me, I was unresponsive, those words finally sinking in. It was like I was being punched in the gut. It hurt, almost, those three tiny words. I… I wasn't ready to say them back. I just realized that I loved Godric, really, but I still didn't know… I was confusing myself more and more by the minute.

Fuck, I don't even know what love actually _is_.

"I don't want you to have to lie anymore," he said thoughtfully, "Because I don't want to go anywhere unless… you don't love me too, Addie. I hate to admit it, but the more time I spend with you, the more easy it is to believe that maybe Sookie was right." I felt another punch, and tears stung my eyes. "I mean, shit, Eric isn't someone to be trusted."

"Yes he is," I said firmly, "If you trust me, you trust him. We're kind of a package deal, Sam. He's the only family I've got," it felt stupid saying it, but it was true, more true than I ever really imagined before now.

And… I wanted to love Sam, so, so, so very much, but I couldn't _say it_. The words weren't there. I tried to tell him, but… "Maybe we shouldn't be…" I started, "I… I can't say it back, Sam. I want to. I want to _so bad_, but I just… I don't want to lie to you, and I don't think I really love you yet. I don't even really know _how_ to love you, I'm too fucked up for this, I…" I wanted to keep talking, but shut my mouth, and kissed him, "I don't want you to leave."

He was quiet for a second. "I need to go."

"Please don't," I said quickly, "Sam, I'm sorry—"

"We'll talk later," he said, "You're right. Maybe we shouldn't be together, Ads. I was stupid for thinking it could work in the first place. You belong here."

"I don't _want_ to belong here!" I said loudly, "I just need you to realize that this is just as much a part of me as you are!"

"I don't know if I can really handle that!" he yelled, "I don't want to be worried about you all night. I don't want you trusting _him_ more than me!"

"I don't!"

"You don't lie to him!" he yelled, "I just need to think, okay?"

"Sam," I said, realizing that I wasn't saying it as loud as I wanted to. And I didn't know why.

Sam left Eric's office, probably shifted and went home the old-fashioned way.

I, on the other hand, started crying like an idiot.

I made my way to behind Eric's desk, sitting in his chair and resting my head in my hands. "I love you," I said aloud, "I love you, I love you, I fucking love you. How hard is that to say?"

The door opened, "You're crying."

"Go away," I muttered.

"We have company," Eric said.

"What the fuck is my problem?" I burst out, "I mean, of course I love him! How could I not? He's perfect! I couldn't do it because he hates _you_," I said, "You. Like I have some sort of _need_ for him to like you."

"He never said he hated me," Eric said, "He said he didn't trust me. And you cannot blame him for that."

"If he hates you," I said, "Then… what's to stop him from hating me? I mean, I work for you. I do what you tell me to do. I might as well _be_ you!"

"You are exaggerating."

"I know!" I said loudly, "That's another problem with me! Why am I so fucked up?"

Eric sighed, "Pull yourself together."

"Fine," I said, shutting my eyes and wiping the tears from my eyes. "Do you want your chair back?"

"Keep it," he said, "You need it more than I do."

I felt like I'd been hit by a truck. I knew my eyes were still red and my face was still wet, and I was still angry and sad and full to the brim of a bunch of feelings I just don't _get_.

I knew he liked me, much more than he ever should have. And I knew that eventually this would spin out of control, in a way I wouldn't be able to fix in any sort of way I wanted to. I didn't want to hurt him, but was much too selfish to stay away. It was a paradox.

He just didn't understand that I wasn't good for him. I couldn't be. He was so sweet, so protective, so… exactly the kind of guy I could have seen myself marrying at the tender young age of fifteen. It was no wonder I was head over heel for the guy, right? I wanted so terribly to be the kind of girl that could be with a man like him.

But, maybe this was for the best. I didn't want to hurt him, and I didn't know how long I'd be _alive_, let alone in the state with Eric. I was planning on leaving as soon as I got the chance! I knew from the beginning that this wasn't going to work out.

Then _why_ did this hurt so damn bad? I already missed him, and he'd barely just walked out the door.

I didn't know what to do, so I bit my lip and kept quiet as Sookie and Bill walked in with the progeny. The only one who even noticed my presence was the one I'd never met, but I didn't look at her, instead try to think of what to say to Sam when I inevitably went to go find him. Did I want to be with him, really? Was it all worth it? If it's just going to end up hurting us both, did I really want to try to stay with him?

Or did I love him, and did that mean nothing else really matters?

It all sounded so _stupid_, so childish, so… not me!

But my mind was distracted when Bill said, "Jessica saw those responsible for the murders around here."

Eric responded with exactly what I wanted to ask, "How?"

"Because she is responsible for some of them as well," Bill said, sounding just like an angry parent. Sookie stayed quiet, glancing over at Jessica like she was some alien.

Well, at least now Andy will stop following me around, right?

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed! Please review, it makes you awesome. And everyone loves being awesome, no?**


	9. Chapter Nine

**Reviews:**

**Murgatroid98: **Yup, yup, and yup. Though really, everything has an automatic prejudice against everything else. Sad.

* * *

**Chapter Nine: Ignorance**

* * *

There were some serious differences between me and Sookie Stackhouse. But, surprisingly, we both had one important thing in common: we were both almost irrationally loyal to our vampire counterparts.

Which is why, without any prompting whatsoever, I volunteered to play babysitter for Sook and Bill's young _ward_, and she agreed with me wholeheartedly.

Though, I suppose after listening to Bill and Eric argue for what seemed like forever, we'd pretty much agree on anything. The two were fighting about which one would be the hero, and chase down the vampires that weren't Jessica who were terrorizing Louisiana without a second thought, and who would get to stay behind and care for the stragglers (AKA, us) who weren't necessarily equipped for vampire/mortal combat.

It made more sense for Eric to go, but he didn't want to leave Sookie behind. And Bill wanted to leave to make sure the job was actually done to fruition, and not wiggled out of for Eric's own personal gain, but he also did not want to leave Sookie behind. And I'm guessing neither of them wanted to deal with Jessica, who was, much like me, going through sporadic bursts of tears and angry mutterings. It was a lot more pathetic coming from me though, considering I was not a teenager, nor in trouble.

No, I was just a bit… _frazzled_, after Sam got all pissy and decided to leave. And the more time that passed since he walked out of Eric's office, the angrier I got. What right did he have to stand there and tell me what I did was wrong, and that he hated what I did, and then flip-flop and tell me he loves me, and then fucking _leave_? He had no right. It was fucking stupid. It didn't help things, of course, that Bill and Sookie and Jessica just _had_ to arrive then, when I was mid-cry, because I loathe crying more than anything else in the world. It's wet, and unattractive, and just plain annoying.

I know, it sounds like some lame, "I must never show emotion," shit. And it kind of is. As I'd been repeating to Eric prior to the Not-So-Holy Trinity's entrance, I was pretty fucked up.

But at least I knew that I was right, and Sam was the one with the problem. At least, that's what I decided. How I felt about him didn't matter anymore. I thought that by _now_, someone would be able to get over all of that racist bullshit and move the fuck on. It's a dangerous world, and if people like Sam keep on not trusting the already-outed Supes, we're all fucked.

So he can deal with his own problems. I was going to be fine, after awhile. And if I just kept telling myself that this crushing feeling was only temporary, and I will once again be able to function without Sam Merlotte, everything will be okay.

I wished I wasn't so invested in him. But he was such a welcome change of pace, in my crazy, crazy life. And it hurt, I guess, that he thought that way about me, like I wasn't to be trusted. I understood that I didn't have the most fantastic past, but if he really cared about me it shouldn't matter.

But I was so sick already of thinking about all of this, that after hearing Eric and Bill argue for the mere minutes they did so, I suddenly blurted out, "I'll stay with them, both of you go!"

Eric turned to look at me, "You're sure?"

"Of course I am," I said, grabbing my bag and motioning for everyone to leave the office, "Go. You don't have much time anyway."

I shut my eyes as I opened the office door; the music was suddenly so very loud and so very obnoxious that it made my head pound. I turned to look at everyone expectantly, pulling my hair up and untangling a curly strand before tying it all back, "What?"

Eric answered, "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," I said, stopping, "No. Actually, I'm pissed. So, so fucking pissed. But, I will be fine." I waved forward, "You guys coming or what?"

"What _happened_?" Sookie asked, whispering, but not doing so effectively.

I turned, "I'll explain in the car."

"She was dumped," Eric said, walking past me and raising his eyebrows.

"Well," Sookie said, "Good for Sam."

Eric looked back at her, "_Ouch_," he wrapped an arm around my shoulders, "She is so insensitive."

"Hardy har har," I mumbled, shrugging his arm off of me, "As if you're Mr. Sensitivity."

"Of course," he smiled. It was a little weird, but I smiled too. "His loss, hm? I personally find you quite trustworthy."

I looked up at him, "Are you… Are you trying to make me _feel better_?" I laughed a little, "That's so sweet, Eric. But, your finding me trustworthy is our problem."

"I heard," he said, "You're not quiet." Fantastic. Possibly the entire bar heard our fight. Maybe even my irrational sobs. And my self-loathing quips of emotional pain. Fuck. Eric went on, musing, "I think he's jealous of our relationship."

"We don't have a relationship!" I said, shaking my head, "You need to go catch those rouge vampires, and I need to go order pizza."

"Yes, I suppose you're right," he said, "Try to be nice to Miss Stackhouse, hm?"

I laughed, "Make my night, Eric."

"For me, please," he grinned as he walked away, and waving Bill over, "Goodbye, Adelyn."

I walked over to my car, opening my door and unlocking the rest for the others. "Bye, Eric!" I said loudly, getting in my seat and rolling my eyes. Sookie sat next to me, and Jessica got in the back, pouting.

Sookie spoke first, "So… what happened?"

"Sam and I got in a fight."

"What about?" she asked, looking out the window as if she was only half-curious. Sneaky, sneaky, Stackhouse.

I pulled up to a red light, and rested my head against the wheel for just a second before looking back up, "Does it matter? It's _good for him_, isn't it?"

I glanced over at her, and she had frowned. "Well, excuse me for stating my honest opinion. Sam doesn't know how to handle a vampire like Eric, and you and Eric come together hand in hand."

"Not really," I said, even though I just told Sam that Eric and I were 'a package deal.' Well, I guess it depends on who I'm talking to, how close Eric and I are.

"Then what was all that?" she said, motioning to the bar, "It's like you two are _friends_ or something."

I laughed, "I can't be friends with Eric? I don't see the big deal, you and I both know that he's not that bad. He's sneaky as hell, and he's an asshole, and he sees something in _you_," I shot her a glance, "But… there's a part of him that's decent. Everyone has that side to them, Sookie. And if Sam refuses to see that, he's just blind."

"Maybe he knows better than to even start lookin'," Sookie muttered, "It's not like you seem very beat up about it anyways."

I turned the car a bit sharply, without braking, and sent her flying to the left. Well, I was partially pleased that all the commotion meant she hadn't seen my erratic, teary state. On the other hand, I was pissed that the bitch could even _say_ such a thing. "He actually stood there, and fucking _reamed_ me for kissing Godric, of all people. And then told me he _loved_ me, and got pissed 'cause I couldn't say it back. Because he hates that I work for Eric," I took a breath, "Which makes sense, I suppose, but this is what I _do_. It's my job. And I kinda like it. It's who I am, and if he doesn't like that, then he needs to reevaluate whether or not he likes me. I'm not going through this shit, and I'm most certainly not crying my stupid fucking eyes out like some idiot teenager just because my boyfriend's feelings are hurt."

"Jesus, Adelyn," Sookie said, "You kissed _Godric_?" Why is that always the part people get hung up on? It was a big deal to the drugged up me who partially believed I actually loved him, but that girl was also very young, very naïve, and slightly drunk. Now, probably due to the fact that it's been years since the Blood-Swap Attraction, and the fact that Godric was _gone_, it didn't seem like such a big deal.

I mean, we were both lonely, we were attracted to each other (well, I hope so) and we trusted each other. It was a moment of weakness that was erased almost as soon as it was written. It didn't need to have such heft to it. That didn't make sense.

"He kissed me," I snapped, "Not that it fucking matters. He's dead."

She was quiet, "I'm sorry."

"Thanks," I said, softer. I took a minute to compose myself, remembering that I must be nice this evening.

"Do you think I'm crazy?" I was starting to think it so. I didn't know whether to be angry or sad or just get over the whole thing. Maybe, deep down, I was just hoping that he'd come to his damn senses, and realize that he was so obviously wrong—and missing out on me, which couldn't do much for the guy.

He said he loved me, after all. I'd venture to think that if ya really loved someone, leaving them would suck. At least, that's what I've learned from TV and movies and a boatload of cheesy old love songs. I don't really think those are comparable here, though. Sam and I weren't really the a-typical relationship, so maybe we wouldn't have an a-typical ending.

There was this funny thing about saying that you actually loved someone. Some people just say it, like the words were as simple and uncomplicated as saying, "Hello." But, I didn't think they were. I'd never really seen rock-solid, true love, anyway. How many people actually have? What if something like _love_ isn't even a possibility for me? I just don't see that sort of thing happening, and even if it were, I'd think that admitting something like that to another person would be a big deal.

And for Sam to just throw it out there like that, it scared me. And I hate being scared, so naturally, I got defensive, and my mind started racing, and as much as I wanted to tell Sam that I loved him too, I just couldn't do it.

But that's no reason to get all pissed off!

I understand that he's worried about me, I'd be worried too if I were in his shoes. But he could at least trust me enough to know that I know what the hell I'm doing.

It was all so frustrating! And as we entered Bon Temps, I took a long route in order to purposefully surpass that stupid bar, even though I doubted he'd even be there now.

"You're not crazy," Sookie didn't answer, but Jessica did, "Sounds like your guy's an asshole."

"Thank you," I said.

Sookie shook her head, "I can't believe Sam said all that."

"Well, think about it," I said, "Every fight you two have is about…"

"Bill, and missing work—"

"To be with Bill," I said, "The fact that he was crazy in love with you probably didn't help the whole hating-vamps thing. You wanna know what's even more fucked up?"

Sookie nodded, "Actually, yes, yes I do." A glance in the rearview mirror confirmed that Jessica was also nodding her head with interest. I looked over at Sookie real quick, and she looked like she was partially _enjoying_ my little rant; I didn't know whether to be relieved or offended. I think I was a little bit of both.

"I can't stop thinking about how _hot_ he was when he was so pissed off," I said, laughing a little embarrassedly. And that embarrassment funneled into a quick, sharp, and acidic, "But that could just be Eric hypnotizing me into such a feat, in order to use Sam for his oh-so _special powers_."

"Don't mock me," she said, frowning and crossing her legs, "It was a legitimate fear."

"Yeah, so is a bunny rabbit," I laughed, "If Eric wanted Sam, he had much, much easier and more sure-fire ways of gettin' to him."

"Like what, exactly?" she asked, with a tone that said I was full of shit.

"Usin' _you_," I said, "Would be one really easy one."

"Right," she said sarcastically.

I nodded, "Right. You know he already owes Eric a favor, don't ya?"

Sookie's head swiveled faster than a broken merry-go-round, and said sternly, enunciating each syllable, "What are you talking about?"

"Chill, Barbie," I said, "He went down to Fangtasia—with Arlene's kids, mind you—to ask about how to hack apart that little maenad problem. Eric went to the queen for him. How the hell did you think they knew each other?"

"I don't know, I guess I just figured that—"

"All supernatural beings do not know each other, Sookie. You should know that by now, since you can _read minds_."

"You are so _rude_," she said angrily, "And Sam thought we'd get along."

"He said the same thing to me. Though it turns out he doesn't know shit about me. Otherwise he wouldn't have _fucking yelled at me like some psychopath!_" I yelled that last part out the window; Sookie winced.

"You realize the more you whine about this, the worse you make it sound," Sookie muttered.

I laughed, "No shit. I don't think I've ever been this mad before," I was speeding, so, I hit the brake a bit roughly on the turn leading to Bill's place. "It's kind of nice. Invigorating."

"Can we please get out of the car now?" Jessica asked, "I'm feelin' less safe by the minute."

Instead of pointing out all that was technically wrong with her statement, I laughed again, "You're just sayin' that 'cause you don't know me." I hit the break hard, and shifted my truck into park, jerking open the door, "I'm Adelyn. Nice to meet you." I opened her door, taking a breath, "I'm sorry about all this, but you did kill a couple people. That's not so good."

"You don't seem worried," Jessica said, raising an eyebrow.

"Go ahead," I said, leaning my head to the side and exposing my neck, "You think you're in trouble now, just wait until I'm on your victims list."

"Touché,"She giggled a bit, walking towards the house.

I looked over at Sookie, who was looking at me like I'd just jumped in front of a train. I needed to calm down, I'll give her that. But, did she really think that Jessica would attack me? No. She was just against anything I did simply because I did it. Hell, and I keep saying she's narcissistic.

But, I could fix this.

"Just admit he was an ass to me, please," I said, walking towards the door, "And, you know what," I turned, "We'd _actually_ agree on something. Maybe we could even be friends. God knows that'd make Sam happy." And, it wouldn't hurt Eric, either. Of course, she didn't need to hear that little tidbit.

Sookie smirked, "Knowing that I think he was an ass would make him happy?"

"Knowing that we can stand each other would," I said, "And it'd make this night easier. I'm offering a truce, Stackhouse. I already fight enough with Pam, anyway, and really, you aren't that bad." I walked inside, "This place creeps me out."

"Weird, considering you spend your nights—"

"With Lafayette?" I joked.

"In Fangtasia," she clarified, laughing a little. "And Bill's house is not creepy."

I turned, "It is, just a little." It was so dark in here, eerily so. The paper on the walls was all crinkled and withered with gaps in between, looking like someone went all stir-crazy with a kitchen knife. I knew it was age, but the thought of Bill going ape-shit on his living room walls made me smile involuntarily, like maybe I wasn't the only one around here slowly losing my sanity.

Actually, the whole house screamed crazy. Not for a vampire, I supposed, but if a regular person were living here, with the old smell of dust and the rough, splintery wood, well they'd probably change a little. Maybe with each little creak they'd start hearing the house whispering their name, and with each thunder of rain on that thin little roof they'll start hearing footsteps. And sooner or later, one night when everything's quiet, that empty, lonely quiet when one feels the lowliest solitude… they'll _snap_, and take out some nice old lady down the street.

It's kind of a shame, considering this place was probably pretty once. Freshly painted furniture, newly cleaned windows, they would look great with the sun streaming in through the window. Quaint. It'd be the perfect lil' country home, right down to the perfectly insignificant address of _Bon Temps, Louisiana_.

I walked away from Sookie in the living room, sitting on the stairs and examining the front door. I'd always half-way wondered, fleetingly, ya know, what it'd be like to never see the sun again. I guess once you have something like that every day you kinda take it all for granted. To not be able to remember what it felt like to have the sun tickle the back of your neck? Fucking crazy, that's what that is.

I whined a lot, but I had no reason to. It could be worse, and I had no one to blame for my problems but me. I'd been running away from my problems since day _one_, when my mom picked us up and pushed us outta town after town. No wonder I'm such a fuck-up. I could've not run away come my teens, could've stayed in school, graduated, went to college… It's not like I wasn't smart enough. And fuck, I could've just met a nice guy, settled down, and have been normal.

That'd mean no vampires, no adventure, no singing, no bars, no Sam.

But I kinda liked all the danger, and the fact that I was _never_ going to know what was gonna happen next anymore. My life's not predictable. It's not slow. It's not boring. But, it's totally irresponsible, and will most likely be the death of me, literally.

And it almost feels like I'd been waiting around these last twenty-four years for Sam, and I had to go mess that up, too.

Even thinking about him made me angry. I huffed as soon as that last thought passed through my head, looking over to Jessica and Sookie to preoccupy myself.

"It's getting harder to stick up for you when you're out attacking people like some nutcase!" Sookie was saying sharply, waving her arm around to gain a more commanding attitude, like you see parents do on TV when scolding their child. I was expecting to hear Jess's middle name.

But instead, the girl shrieked, "I never _asked_ you to stick up for me! You took that upon yourself. And you at least get to leave this place, I'm stuck here like a lab rat!"

"You are not! Bill lets you go see Hoyt—"

"Hoyt and I broke _up_, Sookie, months ago." She shook her head, "Bill doesn't even know that."

Ooooh. I felt my eyebrows raise as I stood and walked into the other room, "Don't you guys think that the grounding should happen when the boys get home? There are still killers wanderin' around outside, so I don't think now's the time to start battling it out."

"It's not like you actually give a shit," Jessica spouted, "I've never even met you before tonight."

"Well, I'm not someone you want to _piss off_," I growled, plopping myself on to Bill's couch and crossing my legs on the coffee table, "So shut your ass up and please help us all get through the night like civilized beings. I don't want to hate either of you, save that for Bill and Eric."

It was all quiet for a moment, because without discussing the apparently uncommon occurrence of a _vampire_ drinking _blood_, it turns out the three of us have about nothing to chat about.

But, Jessica came to the rescue, "So, who's your boyfriend?"

Okay, strike that. Our hero happened to fall. "Nobody." I suddenly realized that I cared about who I was spurting my personal business out around. I wasn't really interested in letting some bratty kid into my life any more so than I already had. Which, looking back on it, was pretty damn far.

"Sam Merlotte," Sookie said, shooting me an apologetic glance afterwards, "She would've kept askin'."

"The guy who runs the bar?"

"You mean the one that's his _last name_?" I said, crossing my arms and looking at her patronizingly, "Good job, kid."

"Shut up," she said, "Him? Really?"

"Says the girl who dated Hoyt Fortenberry," Sookie muttered.

I laughed, "Thanks, Sook." Glancing back at Jess, "We have a lot in common."

"Like what?" she asked, skeptical.

"You mean besides the fact that we both turn into animals, or were you being sarcastic?" I wasn't liking Jessica. Of course, I was being slightly confrontational, but that had to be allowed. I had Sookie back on my side, well, we were getting along, so Eric can smile about that for now.

"I don't think she knew about Sam, Adelyn," Sookie said, standing and walking to the kitchen.

I laughed, "Geez. Shouldn't Bill have… debriefed her or something?"

"Did Eric _debrief_ you?" she called from the kitchen, "You want something?"

"Well, no, he didn't," I said, thinking that it _would_ be nice to have known of Sam's species prior to our meeting. "Sure."

She came back in and handed me a bottle of water, "They're shape-shifters."

"Shape-_shifters_?" Jessica asked, "Like… really?"

I nodded, "You don't believe me?"

"Of course I don't," she said, laughing, "That's fucking _crazy_."

"Yeah, yeah," I said, leaning back on the couch. "It is."

"You could show her!" Sookie said, "Sam showed me, so—"

I suddenly felt the water I was drinking catch in my throat, and I soon sputtered into a fit of coughs, "Showed you?"

"Well _yeah_," she said, "It was actually kind've an accident, he was sleeping with me—"

"What the _fuck_ happens around here?" I said loudly, getting the feeling that I was never going to fully comprehend what goes on here, even if I never, ever leave.

"Don't get huffy," Sookie said, "He was a dog. And I had _no_ idea he was Sam."

"I'm not getting _huffy_," I snapped, standing, "I'd be less annoyed if he wasn't obsessed with you like every other boy in this town."

She laughed, "You need to get over yourself."

"Oh, don't act like it's not _true_," I said, "I don't know what it is about you, but I've met plenty of men in this town, and practically all of 'em seem to have a hard-on for you."

"Don't be gross!" she said, glancing over at Jessica.

"She's seventeen," I said, "When I was seventeen I was living in Texas and applying for a job at a Burlesque club," I laughed, kicking off my shoes, "She knows what a hard-on is."

Sookie was a bit skeptical, "Really?"

I took this as a club shot, not a question upon whether or not Jessica know what a hard-on was, and was okay with the use of the word in this vicinity. "Just another reason Sam's pissed," I sighed, "I wasn't totally _honest_. Like he's a fucking lie detector or somethin'." I shrugged, putting my hands on the back of the couch for a moment and saying thoughtfully, "But I can't really expect him to just be okay with everything, can I? And he can't sit around and expect me to fall in love with a hypocrite. So we're both wrong. And when he _apologizes_… it'll be good." Why I felt the need to say whatever I was thinking tonight, I was unsure. Did I do this all the time? Possibly.

I turned, pulling off my shirt and effectively ending that discussion, "I'm only doing this once, Jess," I said, dropping the clothing on the floor, and continuing with the rest of it all, "So don't ask again. I don't care how cute I am, and I certainly don't care how _cool_ it is."

"She'd think that _why_?" Sookie asked, "Do you do a dog, too?"

I laughed, "_Please_," I shot her a glance over my shoulder, "Domesticated animals are for chumps. And as much as I love Sam Merlotte, his little puppy isn't necessarily gonna make the cut in the world outside this little town. He told me about the bull, though," I grinned, "He's so clever, ain't he?"

Sookie giggled, "It's so weird to hear someone talk about him like that."

"That's because you take him for granted," I said, "Now, if you'll excuse me," and I took in a breath, and changed.

For a second, Jess thought I'd disappeared, "Where'd she _go_?" And I thought that was so funny, that I stayed in my position for a moment more, until a flick of my tail gave me away. And so, I walked from around the couch, and sat, looking up at the two of them a little uneasily. "Holy shit," Jessica breathed, "Is that her?"

I was right there. So I growled.

"Yes," Sookie said, "You said you weren't a dog," she thought, "Even though you kinda _look_ like one anyway," I growled again, and she smiled, scratching behind my left ear, which didn't feel all _that_ terrible. When I turned my head a bit to egg her on she laughed, "Yeah, Sam liked that too."

I could understand this, so refrained from any angry outbursts.

"So you're a…" she shut her eyes for a moment, "Fox."

_Yep._ I thought. _Though you cheated._

She laughed again, "Okay, back to normal now. This is creepy." I walked back behind the couch, shifted, and quickly put all my clothes back on, sitting back down on the couch and crossing my legs. Sookie and I exchanged glances.

"How do you _do_ that?" Jessica said, eyes huge, You were—You were just a—"

"_Fox_," I said again, "Sam turns into a dog, traditionally. But we can be whatever we choose, unlike others. Werewolves and the like, they all have to stick with the one animal. Kinda pointless, if ya ask me," I rolled my eyes, tying my shoe back on the couch.

"And Sam's the one with prejudices," Sookie muttered.

"Werewolves are a whole different animal," I giggled, "Literally. Sam feels the same way 'bout 'em. But, I hated vamps 'til I met Godric. And honestly, if I'm around a vampire I don't know, it always puts me a lil' on edge. You can't change those sorts of feelings, I know that, but you gotta start somewhere, right?"

Sookie seemed surprised by my statement, as if what I'd said couldn't possibly had come from my lips. I don't blame her, though, it's not like I scream idealist intellectual. That's all Godric. I guess it just rubbed off on me.

"Oh, and Jessica," I said, "I'd keep the shifter thing to yourself. I don't think Sam'd take too kindly to me blowing the roof off of his secret."

Before Sookie could respond, my phone buzzed on Bill's coffee table. I reached for it immediately, hoping half-way that it'd be Sam, not Eric. But it was Eric, of course. "Yo."

"Hello," Eric said, "How are things?"

"Fine," I said, standing up, moving the phone away for a moment to say, "I'm gonna take this in the other room—"

"Do you mind if I shower?" Jessica asked, standing too, "I'm kind of… disgusting." The blood still on her cheeks spoke that enough on its own.

I nodded, "Sure, go on ahead," and walked into the other room, "How are things with you? Find anything?"

"Not yet," he said, "They seem to be travelling in circles, they can't be all that old. No trained or experienced vampire would take such a route."

"Maybe they know you're following them," I said, "Maybe they knew Jessica would tell?"

"Then they'd be after her, wouldn't they?" he asked, "What's up with Sookie?"

I smiled, "You know that her liking me more won't necessarily mean she'll like you more. It doesn't matter how _cute_ ya are, either."

"Do you think I'm cute?" he teased.

"Eric, please."

"You have been bringing this up a lot lately. I'm starting to think you're trying to tell me something."

I'll admit to one thing: Eric is most definitely not _unattractive_. But, overruling that was my obligation to him, the fact that he wasn't really my type, and that… well… my feelings for Sam were messin' me up anyway. But I wasn't lying to Sam when I told him that doing anything with Eric would be gross. "You're right. I'm hopelessly in love with you, and want you so bad it _hurts_, Eric."

"Your sarcasm offends me," he said, chuckling. "But is Sookie…?"

"She's fine," I said, "And I think she's coming around. I offered a truce, waved the white flag," I was whispering, singing in my head as I spoke in order to jumble up my thoughts. I don't know if it'd work, but one could only hope. "And, as long as I keep talking about Sam, even if it is because I'm so angry I feel like any minute I'm gonna turn green and lose all my clothes—that's a Hulk reference, if ya didn't catch that one—she seems to like the fact that I'm so pissed."

"She likes that you care about him," Eric said, "She likes him. He's not a bad guy."

"You approve?" I questioned, suddenly realizing that it actually mattered what he said to this question. Sometimes it felt like my connection to Eric was as strong as Pam's, yet only mine was built on principle, not blood. I couldn't really explain it, and oftentimes didn't even try to. It was a reality I had accepted based upon my own twisted personality. I may be a little eccentric, defensive, angry, jealous, and flat out stupid, but I was loyal.

He laughed, "Of course. Despite his tantrum in my office."

"Oh, joy," I muttered, "How's Bill?"

"He's good," Eric said, "Finicky as always. He hasn't called Sookie yet?"

"I haven't seen her answer any phone," I said, walking out until I could see into the living room, and seeing her on the phone at this very moment, "Oh, well, now I have. She's talkin' to someone now."

"All right," he said, "Keep up the work," he said, knowing all too well that he had omitted the word _good_. "I'll call you later."

"Okay," I said.

"Any problems, call Pam."

"Of course," I said.

"You know, if you can fix things with Sookie, it shouldn't be hard to eliminate Pam's problems with you, either."

"Eh, it's more fun this way," I grinned, "I should go, catch the end of her conversation."

"I knew there was a reason I liked having you around," he said, "I'll see you later." Click.

I folded my phone and slid it in into my pocket, walking back into the living room and hearing, "Sam, please, calm down. She hasn't done anything but sit around and talk. I'm fine. Eric's off with Bill chasin' down those vampires responsible for all those killin's around here. So, I'm sure she'll be here all night."

I bit my lip and stayed in my position by the stairs. Sookie continued, "Yes, she did. And may I say that you are crazy to just go off like that in the middle of Fangtasia! You could've been killed for looking at someone the wrong way. And honestly, being jealous of Godric is like being jealous because she kissed a puppy, the guy is harmless, and very much so out of the picture."

Aw, she was standing up for me! I suppose I did make a good impression after all. Eric would be pleased. Sookie laughed, "No, I don't suppose so. But she seems pretty hung up on you anyway. I don't see whagt you see in her, though, Sam, she's so… Oh! Hey Adelyn," she said, suddenly louder, "Anything you wanna say to Sam?"

Well, maybe my impression could still use some _work_.

"Besides fuck you?" I asked, bouncing off the railing and walking to grab my water, "You can throw in that he's a hypocritical, racist _jerk_."

"_Racist?_" I heard Sam yell from the phone, "How the hell am I _racist_?"

I laughed, saying loudly from behind Sookie, "You don't think discriminating against someone because of what they are is racist? Black, white, gay, straight, vampire, shifter, human—it's all relative, Sam!"

"It's not _racism_ if they kill people, Addie!" he yelled.

"Everyone can kill someone else, Sam," I said angrily, "Humans kill, and you don't hate them! Not all vampires are bad, so why group 'em all together?"

"Addie—"

"Sam!" I said, "Are you listening to yourself? Ya know… If this is always gonna be a problem, maybe us splittin's for the best." I hated saying it, but it felt true. After all, it wasn't fair to him to keep him around if I didn't know my own feelings, and was sticking with Eric anyway, if Sam liked it or not.

Once again, I felt like I was gonna cry. But, there were no tears, just a heavy feeling in my chest as I sat next to Sookie on the couch. "Sookie, could you…?"

"Yeah," she said, grabbing the phone, "Sam, we should go."

He had quieted down to normal speaking levels. Sookie could now keep the phone close to her ear, and I didn't hear his response. I did hear Sookie say, "Yeah. Exactly. Bye."

She hung up the phone, and looked over at me, "He obviously feels horrible."

"Well, so do I," I sighed, "But, with all due respect Sook, I have no intention of leading him here tonight with a bunch of crazy vampires runnin' loose. Or, even worse, making this easy for him." He hurt me. Simple as that. And I don't take to kindly to bein' hurt, it's not that I'm easily wounded, it's more like a shot at my pride. I hated that I hated it, but I was much too used to being in control of myself to let this thing ruin me now.

It was stupid, but to me, it mattered.

"And the recent string of disappearances throughout central Louisiana are attracting attention, not only from local police departments, but from popular religious group the Fellowship of the Sun. Fellowship representative Steve Newlin spoke today with Sylvia Hodes on the group's efforts to raise awareness and combat the disappearances." I looked over to the TV, and Sookie had stopped mid channel-surf to listen in as well. The woman on TV disappeared to show another one, a rather uptight-looking black chick with a snug, red, I'm-on-the-news suit. Standing next to the pale and overly smiley Steve Newlin, the woman looked like the devil incarnate.

Steve grinned, as usual, "It's obvious to us that these disappearances are not random, and are not the responsibility of any livin' and breathin' creature."

"Well there are many who would say that that sort of assumption is circumstantial at best," the journalist said.

Steve laughed, "Well, we've stated our opinions on the matter," he calmed a bit, and got down to business, "And we think that this sudden rise of risk throughout this state is dangerous. Did you know Louisiana is quickly becoming a capital for V users?"

The woman shook her head, "No, I did not."

"It's true!" He said emphatically, "And this type of infringement on the lives of these good, Southern families by the vampires that live here is what attracted the Fellowship down here. We've been recruitin' like crazy! There are so many people here who have found solace in our church, and in knowing that they are no longer alone in such an environment."

"Yes, we have heard you've been recruiting," she said, "Our sources tell us you've already received an influx of nearly seventy new members."

"Yep, that is true," he said, "And we're gettin' more and more every day! The light is still shinin' down here in Louisiana! And if anyone out there is interested in finding it, and putting all this business to rest, we are not that hard to find. Just check out our website, , and it'll give you all the info you need!"

"Well, the recent abductions and lack of results are spouting out quite the response here in the state, as you can see. Police currently have no comments on the matter, or any new evidence pointing to the whereabouts of any of the thirteen missing Louisiana residents. This is Sylvia Hodes, New Orleans, Lousiana."

"Thank you Sylvia," the anchorwoman said as the TV leapt back to the studio.

I scoffed, "Freaks."

Sookie giggled, "They're worse in person."

"Isn't everyone?" I sighed, "I shouldn't have yelled at Sam."

Sookie sighed as well, though she was much more louder than I, "Are you always so… indecisive?"

"Yeah, pretty much," I said, "I don't know why so many romantic comedies portray that sort of trait as _cute_. It's fucking annoying."

"It really is," Sookie said lowly. I smiled. I was fully aware that I was annoying. And that I was indecisive. And that I really, really needed to just shut the fuck up most of the time.

But right now was not the time to change.

Especially when we heard screaming.

I stood almost immediately, head shooting straight up in order to hear more clearly. Sookie reacted with a scream of her own, "Jessica!"

No answer. Shiiiiit. Eric was gonna kill me. I turned, vaulting over Bill's couch and running up the steps, Sookie trailing after me until I turned outside the bathroom door, "Do _not_ follow me in here and start actin' some moron," I said, "Take my phone. Call Eric — No, call Pam, and then call Eric. I'm not getting burned on a technicality," I muttered, hand in pocket as I opened the bathroom door and pushed Sookie out of the line of sight. Hopefully, if whatever was in there — and something was in there, all that thudding was not Jessica alone, and the screaming certainly wasn't prompted by a _spider _— was preoccupied enough with a fight, Sookie would go unnoticed.

When I got in, Jessica let out a, "Help!" as she pulled and grasped at some random man's hands around her neck. A silver chain already laid on the ground, and the metal had left distinct burns on the girl's skin. The man was wearing gloves, of course, but was having a hard time controlling the teenager and her frantic thrashing.

"Forward!" I yelled, and Jessica swung herself in my direction, and the male lost his footing, careening towards me, and the metal chain I'd picked up from the ground. I quickly wrapped it around his neck, forcibly yanking his hands away from Jessica.

There, that was easy. My chest was pumping up and down crazy fast with the sudden rush of adrenaline, and as I wrapped up the chain around the vamp's extremities, in order to make sure he didn't move a _muscle_, my fingers twitched anxiously. I let out a deep breath, looking up to Jessica, "You okay?"

Then I was tackled. Jessica screamed again.

I yelped as well, rolling to the best of my ability to get the thing off my back, my head throbbing from a thud against the cold tile floor. I tasted blood spouting from my lip, too, after taking a sharp bump against the sink. I was forced out flat, head yanked to the right to expose my neck, and my right hand wiggled as fast as it could to reach my pocket, but it's twisted position combined with the weight of myself and my blood bag companion on top of me made it near impossible to move, and each twitch and stretch and scrape towards my shorts hurt like hell.

It was the freak out that occurred after the fangs embedded into my neck that allowed it to spasm forward enough to flick the top of it out from its side, looking to Jessica and hoping and pleading she would just _pick up the damn chain and help me_.

But she didn't.

I tried to open my mouth to say something about it, but I'd forgotten how to speak. My head was rolling more and more to the side, seeming to get both lighter and heavier at the same time. My eyelids began to slide to a close, and I could feel the warm and oddly inviting pool of blood around my head lulling me away, like falling asleep in a pool of water. The pain in my neck began to subside, transform into a weirdly _okay_ feeling…

I exhaled.

And then I was slapped.

I blinked, looking up, and shutting my eyes tightly. The bathroom wasn't this bright a minute ago.

"Wake up," a voice commanded, "Oh come on, up," it said again, sighing. "I know you're not dead, so stop being so dramatic."

"Pam?" I asked, opening one eye to clarify that I was correct, "I don't… feel so good." And I didn't. It was like a really, really shitty hangover, my head was throbbing, my entire body tensed with each pump of blood, as if this was now a chore. And my _neck_, shit, it felt like a knife had been stuck in there, and then wiggled around a bit to make matters worse.

"Shh," she said, not sounding as sarcastic as a moment ago, "Sookie. Go grab a blanket, she's shivering. Eric'll be here soon, sweetie," she said to me, "He'll make it better."

I opened my eyes fully, shaking my head, despite the pain it shot to practically every nerve in my body, "No. No, no, no. He can't do that."

"Yes he can," she said, "And he's goin' to whether you like it or not."

I didn't like it. "No."

"Not gonna help," she said, and I had to shut my eyes again. "Just calm down," she continued, "Think about that lil' boyfriend of yours. Or, wagging your tail, or something."

The fact that she was attempting niceties for me was rather kind, but I couldn't appreciate it just now, with all the blood gushing from my body like water from a hose. "_Pam_," I said, "Don't let—"

"You'd rather I just let you die?" Eric, this time, there was no mistaking that. I wondered how he got here so quickly, since he had to have been far away… they did take a _car_.

I wanted to answer, but couldn't. When I opened my mouth to do so, I coughed, and tasted even more blood. My stomach shifted in revolt. I shut my eyes even tighter, letting out a breath and suddenly feeling very light…

"Adelyn," Eric said, putting a cold hand to my forehead and shocking me awake yet again, "Keep your eyes open."

I did as I was told, looking up at the ceiling, and then over to him. This didn't feel like it was a good idea. But then again, I'd done this whole thing once before. Eric was all fangs, ready to go. I looked back at the ceiling until I felt that _liquid_ dripping onto my lips. I shut them tighter. "_Drink_," he said harshly, but the pressure against my mouth was soft, coaxing it open until I'd have yet another life-savin' cocktail.

Maybe I should be a cat. After all, I'm technically now on life three.

* * *

**There we go. I hope you enjoyed!**

**You've read, the next logical step would be a review, wouldn't it?**

**See you next chapter!**


	10. Chapter Ten

**Hello, everyone. Below you is the next installment of **_**If It Kills Me**_**. I hope you enjoy it, it's extra long just for you!**

**Below **_**that**_** is an author's note that I would like to call your attention to. I have some things I would appreciate your opinion on, because even though I'm writing this story, I still think that as the one reading it, you should get some input. It also talks about next update. So, it's kind of important.**

**Thanks for reading, and I really hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Reviews:**

**Golden-love:** I love that you love the fic! Please keep reading, tell your friends, all that jazz. Hehe. And yes, I _am_ a Jason Mraz fan, and I'm happy you picked up on that. :)

* * *

**Chapter Ten: **Burning Up.

"Are you feeling better?" Eric asked as I once again re-opened my eyes, and my chest began moving at its normal pace. I could even feel the blood start to really flow through my veins, not just get pushed because of a low supply. My body temperature rose, blood even tinting my cheeks. I was better, so I nodded.

I wasn't upstairs anymore. Eric had moved me down onto Bill's couch. It was weird; even though I'd just been down here, I suddenly felt smaller in comparison to the thing. And as I sat up, I felt fragile and strong at the same time. The shock and residual throbbing I felt from getting hurt made me seem delicate, like a glass after someone taps it with a piece of silverware. But the blood sent this wave over me, like I had never felt this good before in my life. I could smell the weirdest things, like the iron in Bill's drink, even though it was capped, or the leather of Eric's jacket, even though it was slung on a chair across the room. I was _aware_, of everything.

That was the one thing I liked about vampire blood. And it was what I focused on as I sat up completely and crossed my legs, pulling them in close until I was a neat little folded package on the couch, biting my lip and making sure I was okay. "Is Jessica all right?"

"Yes," Eric said, "She is with Sookie upstairs."

I nodded, "Good. What did Pam do with the…" I didn't know what to call that _thing_ that attacked me. Like I said, there earlier, there is a distinction between those who are good, and those who are bad. The thought of her sent my fingers to my neck, where they gently felt for the wound that wasn't there anymore. My eyes flickered self-consciously to Eric, and away almost as instantly as I realized he was already looking at me.

When I looked away, he answered. "Tied her up. Bill and I are taking the both of them to the magister this evening. This whole issue should be resolved by tomorrow."

"Good. Pam went back to the bar?"

"Yes."

"Oh," I said, "I… uh… I wanted to thank her," I frowned a little, kicking the ground and looking down, "I'm a mess," I muttered as I examined my clothes, running a hand through my hair and stopping as I suddenly hit a thick clump of what I could only describe as _goo_, but when I put my hands in front of my face, I could clearly define it was blood, "Oh jesus," I said, putting my free hand to my mouth to stop a gag. "I must look like shit."

"You've looked better," he said, as I wiped the bloodied hand on my already hopelessly stained shirt.

I nodded, "That's a relief, I guess. Can I go home, or should I stay here tonight?"

"Considering the states of the others, I'd suggest you stay. You are much calmer than them."

"Well considering I have a vat of your blood in me, I should be calm, now shouldn't I?"

"What makes you think it's so much?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

I rolled my eyes, "No scars, no anything, for one. You look really pale and haven't moved from that chair at all since we've started talking, and one would assume that normal you would be off to find Bill by now instead of holding a conversation with me. You obviously haven't fed. Why don't you just drink a Tru Blood?"

"I'd need more than a sixteen ounce bottle, Adelyn."

I laughed, looking at him with a smile, "You just think it's _gross_."

"If you're that worried, I could always feed off you," he said, smirking.

I looked down, shaking my head, partially because I was tired, and partially because I knew he was messing with me, "Eric, not funny."

"What?" he inquired, "Oh, right, you did get a lot of my blood, didn't you?" He stood, as if to prove a point, "I couldn't possibly drink from you knowing you'd _enjoy_ it."

I faked a gag, "Don't make me vomit, I'm still a little light-headed. Though I have to admit," I stood, "I do feel okay. A little sleepy, but otherwise fine. Thank you, Eric."

"You are welcome," he said, leaning back and stretching his arms across the back of the couch, "You did well this evening. If you hadn't been here, it's very possible they," he nodded towards the stairs, "Would be dead."

"Isn't one already?" I joked, and then smiled softly, "Once again, thanks. Don't you have to go see the magister soon? It's late. And I think I'll be fine from here on out."

He nodded, "I suppose you are correct, I'll have to track down Bill. He gets terribly over protective once Sookie's life is in danger. It's amazing he allows her out of the house."

I slid my hands in my back pockets, laughing a little, "Eh. He cares. It's sweet. I'd even venture to say romantic. Maybe that's an approach you should try, ya know? _Woo_ her," I could barely finish that sentence without laughing.

"I see your sense of humor is back, and as dull as ever," he remarked, examining me, "Godric was right to help you." He said thoughtfully, "You're quite the asset."

"You going to bloody me up like those V-wolves?" I laughed, "I'd be a killing machine." Tossing out a quick karate chop. At Eric's confused face, "I know. V-wolves. Sounds stupid. Back in Texas, there was this rumor among shifters, probably brought by a couple crazies passing through, that there were some vamps fueling up some werewolves in the Midwest. Like, crazy shit. It's just weird, because that's… kind of what you and Godric have been doing to me," I walked over towards the stairs, "Except you're saving my life in order to keep me around because of what I can do because of the blood." I looked over at him, "I think that's something you should keep from your little girlfriend. She already thinks you're using me to get Sam."

"She's still on that?" he asked, not out of genuinely curiosity, but more so out of sheer amusement. "Send down Bill."

"Got it," I said, "Later." Walking up the steps got easier with each bounce. I think Eric's medical treatment was working out nicely. Once I reached the top, I walked down to the end of the hallway, pounding on the door, "Okay kids, time to break it up. Billy's got to head to the magister."

Bill opened the door, looking rather irritated, "Do not leave this house."

"Eric beat you to the punch on that one," I said, "_You're welcome_, by the way."

"Thank you," Bill said coldly, "If she is ever – "

"She'll be fine," I said, standing my ground across from him for a moment, "I promise." I liked him more when he wasn't so… brusque. But, of course, my allegiance wasn't to him, necessarily, so it's not as if I had to deal with him, anyway.

He nodded, "Please. She has a way of landing herself into trouble."

I moved out of his way to allow him to walk downstairs, "I don't think that's all that surprising."

He smiled a bit, glancing back into the room at the woman in the pretty white dress before vanishing downstairs.

I looked back at Sookie, "Where's Jessica?"

"I'm here," she said, walking up from behind me. She seemed a little frazzled, but overall all right. No tears. We're good.

I nodded, "Head in here with Sookie. I doubt anyone else is going to come in and start killing, but just in case, you know what to do. I'm going to clean myself."

I ignored whatever it was Sookie said after I turned, because I as good as I was at compartmentalizing, I had to deal with the fact that I had yet again almost died, and this time in the bathroom of Vampire Bill's Olde Home. And as soon as I got in the bathroom, and saw the nasty pool of blood on the floor, I fell back against the door with a _thump_ and shut my eyes.

This was, officially, the worst night of my life.

I needed to calm down. Go for a run. Talk to Sam. But, I couldn't do any of those things because I had to babysit. Again. I walked around my mess, turning on the shower, my breath quivering as I did so, until I could feel tears brimming against my eyelids just waiting for me to break down and sob.

I wasn't even being emotional, if you can believe it. I wasn't sad about Sam. I wasn't angry at Eric. I wasn't pissed at Sookie, or Bill, or Jessica. Hell, I wasn't even worried about dying. It was just… the _stress_ of it all. So much to juggle, so little me to catch it. I think the more time I spent with Eric, the more desensitized I'd become, until the only way I could start feeling something is if I get so much weight pressed on me that even the tiniest little thing will send me reeling. Bottling up every last twinge of feeling does that to you, I suppose.

I thought Sam leaving was the final straw. It broke the dam – that one thing causing a full on explosion of emotional distress.

I didn't cry. Although I felt it coming, it never happened. I had to wash my hair three times until I didn't see any pink running down the drain. I scrubbed my skin until it was red. And when I finally felt some semblance of clean I stepped out of the shower with a sigh, jumping slightly and turning away at the sight of my blood. I didn't want to change back into my ratty old clothes, so I opened the door, "Anyone have something I could wear?"

"Yeah," Jessica said.

"I'm larger than you," I called after her.

She snorted, "Barely. But I'll keep that in mind."

I shut the door again, unwrapping the towel from around me and laying it on top of the floor. I should clean that up. Then again, cleaning wasn't outlined in the job description, so…

Jessica knocked on the door, and I opened it a bit to grab the clothes: a dress of my own. I'd be happier if I wasn't so adverse to dresses. Thankfully my jeans weren't covered in blood, and then could be slipped on underneath Jessica's little black dress.

I left the bathroom, right hand messing up my hair as I turned down the steps, walking down and calling, "Ollie ollie oxen free, guys."

"You feelin' better?" Sookie asked.

"Sure," I muttered, glancing over at her, "You?"

She nodded, "Yeah. Bill seemed pretty sure nothin' else was comin'."

"Well, he's always right," I muttered, "No one's dead. So, we're okay. And if something does come, we will still be okay."

"You seem so sure," Jessica muttered.

I rolled my eyes, sitting on the couch, "If anyone should be sure we're okay, it should be the immortal one, kid."

"I'm not a kid," she snapped.

I rested my head in my hands, "I'm sorry. You aren't _worried_ more about the fact that someone tried to kill you?"

She didn't answer, obviously turned off by my sudden change of mood. I didn't mean to snap, but I did not want to deal with this shit anymore tonight. I wanted to sleep, but that wasn't happening anytime soon. Wishing with such intensity that this night would finally just _end_, I laid back on the couch and watched Sookie and Jessica sit uncomfortably across from each other, unsure of what to do.

We must've sat there forever once Sookie finally said, "I'm scared."

And I could only close my eyes for a moment, feel helpless in my own right, and mutter, "No shit."

* * *

I'd left the Compton residence after Bill had returned. He seemed even more solemn than usual, but I figured a night with the Magister would do that to you. I'd only ever met one in my life, and that was in Texas, but he wasn't necessarily a great guy. Bill went straight for Sookie, and I stood almost immediately, not pausing to hear anyone say goodbye.

I wasn't in the goodbye sort of mood. I just wanted to sleep. But before I went home to Lafayette, I'd driven straight to Fangtasia to pick up whatever they'd inevitably give me tomorrow.

Pam found me first, "Isn't it a little past your bedtime?"

"Not in the mood," I muttered, walking inside and towards the back, "Can I get an advance on tomorrow's product? I need a serious day to myself."

She wasn't buying it, for some reason, "Since when do you ever like to be alone? Don't you get scared, like a puppy during a thunderstorm?"

"Hopefully it won't storm tomorrow, then," I mumbled, "Please, Pam, I just need to get the fucking blood, and get home so I can fucking sleep."

She frowned, "Kitty has claws, or so they say. Here," she did that stupid disappearing act when she darted back and forth so quickly, and handed me two vials of blood, "There's a little extra to keep you busy, since you're single now."

"Fuck you," I said, grabbing the shit and putting them in my bag, turning and running into Eric. I didn't even yell – that's how tired I was.

He raised an eyebrow, "Everything all right?"

"Fine."

"You seem tense."

"I was almost someone's dinner, Eric. People tend to be tense when they are almost eaten." I'd tightened my grip on my bag, pulling it down against my shoulder.

He grabbed my arms, steadying me, "Calm down, you're angry."

"I want to just go home, Eric."

He angled his body towards me, coming as close as he possibly could without touching, a mere centimeter keeping us apart. I could feel this toxic cocktail of the blood, the anger, and what I could only deem as self-loathing welling in the pit of my stomach, all feelings of weariness almost vanishing completely. My body temperature rose, every nerve in my body was just _screaming_ for him. And it took every single bit of self-control I could muster to bite back on the thing that made my fingertips twitch and my chest feel hollow, and hold it in my jaw, clenched.

What's it like, I wondered, to be him? To know that all it took was fleeting curiosity to have me rendered incapacitated, to know that he had so much power over another being. What was it like to sense the electricity coming off my skin, and feel my hot breath against his icy lips? What was it like to be able to stand there and crush everything I'd worked so hard to build, my own little house of cards to be sent tumbling down.

It wasn't a case of the future, though, was it? I'd already ruined any chance of my own happiness with Sam. I'd done it by standing right here, and wanting this so badly I could barely stand it.

And I know Sam would say that it wasn't my fault, and pretend like he didn't care about it. But he would. And the knowledge of my mind being occupied by another would eat away at him until even looking at me made him sick, until he grew to hate me.

I knew it was wrong. It was so wrong, but I wasn't in the business of doing things because they were right anymore. And he was fully aware of what he was doing to me, and he hadn't even attempted to stop, to say that this was all some sick joke, and that he was testing my loyalties — or something equally pathetic.

My eyes stayed locked on his, almost daring him to do it, wishing he would just do it so I didn't feel so empty anymore. So that I could feel guilty without it seeming unfounded, so that I could just say that I was unfaithful, and mean it in every sense of the word.

I swallowed, blinking once as I regained some semblance of movement, but it all felt mechanical. Eric's hand slid up my side, sending a shock through me that sent the hairs on the back of my neck up on end, and I was almost tempted to look away, and try to break this baleful spell he had on me. He turned his head up a bit, knocking my mouth open just a little more without even trying.

It felt like we'd been standing there for hours, but it'd only been a few seconds. My mind was flying by at this lightning-fast speed, and I could only wish, in a most desperate fashion, that this was a dream, or that Eric was also mulling over the same mixture of surprise and confusion that I was.

But, I doubted it, considering he was not under the influence of illegal substances. This fact only pushed my chaotic mind into a deeper frenzy. Why on earth was he was doing this? I'm not just some toy to be played with for a week, and then ignored. He can't just grow bored with me. He can't just throw me away. I'm not just another girl… right? I thought, for some reason I didn't fully understand, that we were, in our own way, friends. Partners. I'd even venture to say family, because he's the closest thing I've got.

But he didn't feel that way anymore. He felt different, and not necessarily in a bad way. It was just so tempting, _he_ was just so tempting. I… I didn't know what to do. I just wanted to live in some alternate universe where this was _okay_, or even better: not happening.

And as Eric pulled away, mercifully granting me some breathing room, smirk still planted on his features. I felt like I was going to cry.

And that feeling was only drummed on by the fact that part of me was sad out of guilt and the other because Eric pulled away.

"Why did you do that?" I said angrily, almost growling the phrase at him as I stood and walked to the other side of the bar, far, far away from him. I turned around, and shut my eyes tight, trying to convert all the tears threatening to spill over into unrelenting anger.

Eric did not follow me, and for that I was thankful. "Would you have wanted me to continue?"

"Fuck, I don't know," I said, looking up, "I told you! I didn't want you to…" I trailed off… not knowing how to form what I was feeling into coherent English sentences.

"You didn't want me to save your life?"

"I didn't want you to _forcibly_ do this to me," I snapped, turning around, "We were perfectly fine before this, and now," I shook my head, locking my jaw and fervently moving my hands as I continued, "Do you just want to make me miserable? Is that your motive? Do you really _hate_ me that much?"

He stayed silent.

"And, god, as if you need to influence someone to get laid. I mean _seriously_, Eric, you are plenty attractive. You cannot possibly have such low self-esteem that you'd go after _me_."

He still didn't respond.

"And I…" I shut my eyes again, winding up against the wall and sliding to the floor, "Jesus, Eric…"

He was beside me in moments, lifting up my head and looking at me, amused, "You are so emotional."

"That's what comes with a heartbeat," I whispered, my voice still carrying an acidic quality that got my point across effectively.

He was close again. I don't know if he just didn't know it because he was so perplexed by my reaction to him, or not, but I was certainly aware. I kept my eyes forward, though, refusing to look at him at all. That is, until he kissed me.

He pulled away and turned my head to him, feeling heavy, wanting to just ask _why_.

"You don't love me, Adelyn."

"As if I didn't know that already."

He smirked, "But you can't deny the fact that you are… _curious_, about… this," he said, leaning in and kissing me again.

My heart was pounding, and we could both hear it, even though I tried my best to ignore it. "What about Sam?"

"He's nice," Eric, said, standing up lightning-fast and pulling me up towards him. Pinning me against the wall, he whispered, "But you aren't, are you?"

Weakly, I shook my head. Eric kissed me again, and this time I kissed back. He smirked, going after me with even more fervor, pushing all the right buttons and upping the electricity within me with pure ease. I slid up his shirt, he pulled it off quickly, with a practiced efficiency, mouth leaving mine for a less than a millisecond. He unbuttoned my jeans slowly, though, lifting me against the wall and sliding the fabric off my legs, watching the skin gradually reveal itself as he did so.

And then I woke the fuck up, shutting my eyes tightly and punching the side of Lafayette's couch so hard the noise it made even frightened me. I was sick. Sick, sick, sick. And what's worse is that while that dream was… _wrong_, in more ways than I could count off on my fingers, I could already tell that I almost desperately needed a change of underwear.

_Sick_. If only there were some way to go back to the night before, and just fucking _leave_ that house. Of course, that would mean both Jessica (who, despite the attitude, I kind of liked) and Sookie (who, despite the attitude, Eric _really_ liked) would be hurt, or worse. And the fallout from that would suck more than a hungry Pam on a new lesbian dancer.

I stood, walking from the couch into the bathroom, wincing a bit from the shine inside it. I moved a few pill bottles aside to find my toothbrush.

I slept for about fourteen hours, and I was still exhausted. I looked better though, much better than anyone who had gone through last night's events should look. My hair was perfectly tousled, eyes bright and wide with no bags whatsoever, skin tinted with the perfect amount of pink, and, hell, my body wasn't even remotely sore.

If I hadn't still been so tired, I would have felt fantastic. I stretched, spitting out my toothpaste and leaning down to the sink and catching some water in my mouth to rinse with. After all, I was always a bit wary of using Lafayette's cup.

I washed my face, grabbing a towel to dry it off as I walked back into the living room and sitting back on the couch, relishing this time alone.

My zombie-like sleep of the day had left me restless, even though it was now one in the morning. Eric had mercifully given me the night off, and I'd been dancing around thinking about him with a determined yet nervous integrity – I was _not_ going through this again. Though, I doubt my brain could really be challenged in the sex fantasy department after the years I spent with Godric. I don't know where exactly I _got_ all this creativity, but constant flirting and constant sexual tension can, and usually did, lead to very, _very_, exciting dreams.

And I did not want that sort of relationship with Eric. So, after that evening snooze I had pretty much decided to never sleep again.

Needless to say, I now needed to be occupied. TV wasn't helping. Saturday nights meant television just _had_ to totally blow, I think they (they being those who schedule the programming, of course) want to make everyone of us lonely souls who are forced at home on a Saturday night to feel sorry for ourselves. I had cast the remote aside, wishing I hadn't told Lafayette this morning he could leave because I was "totally fine" so I would have someone to talk to.

I closed my eyes and lay back on the couch. _No sleeping_, I reminded myself, opening my eyes and staring at the ceiling. I laughed as I did it, too. As if I could sleep, no matter how tired I was, once my head was buzzing, sleeping was never an option. I was staring at the ceiling in frustration, so pissed at my current boredom that, well, staring at the ceiling sounded like a fuckin' brilliant idea.

Last night, Sookie mentioned stopping by the bar for a formal apology and a, "Hey! I'm alive! And I love you!"

But, I couldn't picture that happening. I was still, as dream-Eric poignantly pointed out to me, angry. It had progressed since its beginning, too, like an arc, starting out small and confusing, and reverberating into something large and unabashed, and fading into a severe… _annoyance_, like I just didn't want to be angry anymore.

It'd only been a day, though. One little day. I couldn't give in _now_. Call it being stubborn, but I just couldn't admit to him that he was right, about anything, no matter how right he was about some of it all (the lying, for example, wasn't helping me). I was just pissed at his closed mind, and at his moodiness, and at the fact that this bothered me so much. I thought, really, that if it were any other guy, I'd be over it, or him, by now.

And I wasn't, so that had to count for somethin'. Whether that was a good thing, though, I was unsure. This whole Sam thing normally wouldn't be bugging me so much anyway. I just couldn't take all this stress anymore, I suppose, and thinking about him was a lot easier than thinking about anything else. I liked him more.

I crossed my arms behind my head, and crossed my left leg over my right, bouncing my foot in the air.

It was notably exasperating that while Eric was away, Sam commandeered my thoughts. How _cute_. I rolled my eyes, grabbing my phone and flipping it open – to see that I had five missed calls from one Sookie Stackhouse, all of which I had acquired during the day.

I sat up. Navigating myself to my voicemail and then listening to hear Sookie explain her sudden need to call me fiv_e_ times, "Adelyn? Jesus, where are you? I understand not comin' in," I blinked. I still had a _job_ at Merlotte's? Well, Sam didn't seem to be one who'd fire me just because of a personal grudge, but I was still a bit surprised, and more so relieved – I did need the extra cash to pay for food, clothes, and the part of the rent and utilities Lafayette stuck me with. "But not callin' in is… unlike you. Everything okay? Lafayette says you've been asleep… if you wake up, and need to chat, feel free to give me a call. I… I really can't thank you enough for what you did last night."

I wished I could erase last night out of my memory. I liked the Sookie who disliked me more than this new model. She said some more stuff, but I went ahead and deleted the message, sighing.

I dialed the telepath, knowing I'd get an answer. After all, it is one on a Saturday. "Adelyn?"

"Hey," I said, "I just wanted to tell you I'm fine. Totally fine." She said that she was glad, and went on to thank me again. I dealt with that as nicely as I could, walking outside and feeling even more alert than I already was. "Yeah, Sookie, really. I'm fine. I promise ya'. So…" If that was all, I was expecting a, 'Yes, bye, Adelyn!'

But that's not what I got. "I told Sam what you did."

Never have I wanted to hang up more on any living being. Living is the key word there, of course. "Sookie, I have to go."

"I – Okay. But you should know that he seemed really impressed."

"I don't need to impress him, Sookie," I sighed.

She spoke faster, "Look, I know you care about him. You made that pretty damn clear last night. You can remain aloof about everything else, but you care about Sam. So, I know that if you just talk to him—"

"Sookie," I said, "With all due respect, I can handle my own shit. I don't need you playing middleman between Sam and I like we're in high school. I have to go." I shut my eyes, anger and frustration flaring up inside of me, coupled with this nagging growing and settling in the pit of my stomach.

"Bye," she rushed, sounding like I'd hit her, and she recoiled.

"Bye." I stood there for a moment. Still. The only thing I could hear was the humming of cicadas and the occasional whisper of the wind. It was peaceful, calm, _free_.

Languidly, slowly, I dropped my phone to the ground, and pulled off Jessica's dress, and shifted.

Running always made me feel better. The feel of the ground beneath my feet, scooping up the earth and using it to shove me forward, faster and faster until I was going so fast my lungs hurt trying to take in a breath, and my legs began to sear with pain, trying to lock up and stop me. But I kept going, adrenaline pumping through me like it was now my blood, and my brain only thinking one coherent thought: _Go_.

It wasn't dark. The clouds had taken on this eerie glow, outlining their heavy gray with shining white as they sunk down, heavy with rain, towards the earth. I could smell a storm coming, and didn't give a shit right now. The trees towered over my smaller form, reaching up to touch the sky, mix their leaves with the entrancing pull of the moonlight. I was dark, in every meaning of the word, and the feel of the moon hugging me, wrapping me up in light for once, made me feel better than a _vat_ of Eric's blood.

Though the latter was what kept me alive, and what still allowed me to feel fine, even when my limbs now ached, wishing the blood to make them better, and my face now remained set in a frown, still not fully satisfied.

Spending my night as an animal still didn't feel… right. It was closer, I guess, to what I wanted but I still couldn't put a stop to this weird unfinished feeling. Nagging tension. It spread through me slowly, warm and sweet like honey, but instead of bogging me down and making me slow and sleepy, it made me edgy. Like a wave of frustration, building up inside of me and just _begging_ to be expelled. Released.

I slowed down, looking around to see where I was. The woods around here weren't as thick as they looked. Once you got inside, the trees offer ample room to move around, it just seemed as though they were impenetrable. Then again, I was rather small and close to the ground, so my perspective may have been a bit skewed. Either way, I made my way out of the trees, when a huge ass boom of thunder sounded around me.

I jumped, falling back against the ground and a little and looking around to make sure no one was around to see that. Then I realized it didn't _matter_ because I was not human at the moment, and started walking towards the road to make my way back to Lafayette's, so I could shower and curl back up on the couch and find something, anything to watch on TV, even if it was some lame _What Not to Wear_ rerun.

The rain picked up, and I went a little faster towards the opening after the trees, feet sinking into the mud as I tried to trek through the moistening ground.

Well, fuck.

I shifted yet again, standing and sliding my underwear back on, pausing before repeating the same process with the dress. I really don't think Jess is going to want that back. But, despite its slightly wet condition, it did fit me really, really well. I glanced inside, not yet wanting to forfeit to the night and go back inside where sleep was my only real option. So, I took another walk.

I dropped the rest of my clothes off inside the house, spinning my bare heel easily against the slick grass to turn around, and starting to walk, studying my phone as I did so.

It was nice, being able to just walk, even in the rain, without worrying about anything. I was completely alone, and I liked it. Being able to just close my eyes and move without anyone watching me, studying me, _judging_ me. It was nice. Like, a period of time all to myself, so I could just… be.

Part of me was masochistic. Not the good kind, either. And, you _do_ know what I'm talking about. The good kind of masochism is the kind where one hurts themselves in order to benefit another. It's nearly martyrdom. Not that I necessarily condone martyrdom, but I don't seem like the self-sacrificing type, now do I? No, I was simply one to cause problems for myself, to focus too hard on all the minor imperfections instead of just stepping back and enjoying the whole portrait.

Life for me was good. I had everything I could ever ask for. Of course, I wasn't the happiest I could be. But, nowadays, who really is truly happy? I couldn't name one person who was perfectly content with the life they were living, so my feeling unsettled and somehow dissatisfied is only _normal_. And while I may not be doing things that were necessarily _good_, I wasn't hurting anyone who didn't deserve… or _wish_ to be hurt. Dealing V, chasing drainers, all that shit is just part of my life now, and I was going to have to be able to deal with that without making myself feel guilty or sad. Because emotion has _no_ place in this sort of business, I was learning that more and more every day. It just complicated things, created a double standard. A business one, and a moral one. And the two conflicted constantly.

So, it was easier, and much better, if I just disregarded myself. My _feelings_. Those pesky little things that made me more human than I could afford to be. I needed to be more stoic.

And now, it didn't seem as if this would be such a hard task. I was perfectly capable of separating myself from my work, and separating my work from me. Of course, that would leave me with little or no real life to speak of, but at least I'd have a better shot at actually being happy.

It started to rain just a little bit harder, enough to pull my head away from its meanderings and back to my trek. I ran a hand through my hair, it resisted it a bit more, and I pulled my hand away and had to untangle a few stuck curly strands. I stepped lightly, almost bouncing, one foot in front of the other. I was aware of _everything_. I could count the number of water droplets on my skin. I could taste the trees and the rain and the sky with each breath. It was interesting, what they felt. How they saw things.

Not something I would ever want, though. I much preferred to be oblivious. It was a lot simpler that way.

By the time I got to the bar – because, inevitably, I'd end up at the bar, the fucking irony of my life was starting to annoy me – it was pouring. Water was falling from the sky in buckets, and I'd situated myself under a heavy tree to avoid most of the downpour. I wasn't going _in_. I wasn't even going towards the trailer. Honestly, I didn't even leave Lafayette's knowing that I'd show up here. I simply started walking, and winding up here was entirely a subconscious feat.

I suppose it was my brain telling me I wasn't as analytical as I wanted to be. I could try to be a vampire all I wanted. I could not care as much as I wanted. I could rationalize everything I did to make myself feel better, but I wasn't going to be able to escape myself. I was a normal girl put in a pressure-cooker. I was intense, and with that came outbursts of annoying, but vital sentiments.

But that didn't mean I wasn't going to give it all a try. I didn't _need_ Sam to be happy, despite whatever that small part of me that brought me here may _think_. I could find another outlet for myself. I didn't need him.

Then _why_ did my heart skip a beat when I saw him walk from his car?

I held my breath and darted behind the tree, biting my lip to keep myself as quiet as possible. Peeking between the heavy leaves, I watched him button up his shirt, shaking his head to rid it somewhat of water.

I should leave. This is stalking. Or, at least, some new form of accidental stalking that is probably against the law somewhere. So I shut my eyes and turned around, resting against the tree for a second, when I heard a bark.

"Huh?" I said, opening my eyes and sighing. It was the dog. I glanced back, and saw Sam back by his car, grabbing something and then turning to jog back to his house. I sighed. It was_ just_ the dog.

It barked again.

"Shhh," I muttered, "C'mere boy," I said, crouching down as he moved forward and licked my cheek. I scrunched up my face and scratched behind his ear. He barked again. "Shhhhhh," I said, grabbing his head and looking at him in the eye, "_Quiet_. I don't want him to know I'm here, okay?"

He barked again.

"Fuck you," I muttered, smiling and kissing his head, "I doubt he can hear anyway, rain's so fucking loud."

Another bark. And another.

"Shh!" I said quickly, "What is your problem!" He licked my cheek again and I sighed roughly, "Please, please, _please_ be quiet. I'm begging you."

No bark. I waited. "I knew you liked me," I grinned, standing and turning back the way I came, and directly into a dripping Sam Merlotte.

He seemed unsure of who I was, or if I was really there. His eyebrows were scrunched together, mouth slid to the side in an altogether suspicious expression that, if I wasn't so embarrassed about being caught, I would have found hilarious. "Addie?"

"No?" I tried with a shy half-smile, stepping back a bit to move away from a trickle of water through the tree, wiping back my bangs and licking the water from my lips.

He narrowed his eyes, "What are you doing here?"

"Couldn't sleep," I said, slightly defensive, "I went for a walk. What are you doing up so late?"

"What do you think?" he asked back, obviously miffed by my question.

I put my hands up, in the universal _excuse-me-for-asking_ gesture, and turned to walk past him, "Whatever. Have fun with your friend."

He called after me, "You went for a walk in the rain?"

"So?" I said, turning around.

"You're soaked," he said, "And you're wearing a dress."

"Oh _wow_," I said, faking shock, "I hadn't realized either of those things! You are _so_ observant, Sam!"

He scoffed, "Will you at least dry off so you don't get raped on the way home. God knows you're just begging for it."

I rolled my eyes, "How _chivalrous_ of you. Because I can't take care of myself, right?"

"No." He said, "You can't."

I huffed, "I _can't_?"

"You're half naked. It's raining. You're alone. You're an idiot."

"Oh, I think I'll be fine."

"You do?" Skeptical, of course, "Your 'boss' know where you are?"

"Air quotes, Sam? What are you, four?" I laughed, "No, he doesn't. I _was_ taking some time for myself, considering I almost _died_ last night."

"Oh, right, yeah, I heard about that," he said, leaning against the tree, "The great hero who had to be saved by the vampires. _Again_. Sounds more like damsel in distress to me, personally. I bet Eric really liked helping you out, huh?"

"What do you mean?" I growled, crossing my arms, "You _jealous_?"

"Extremely."

I laughed, taking a few steps back towards him and muttering, "Just because you got all hot 'n bothered for Bill, doesn't mean I'll feel the same way 'bout Eric, _sweetie_."

"Fuck you," he said.

"Fuck _you_," I snapped back, "I can_not_ believe I never thought of that one before. You did have a shit ton of his blood, didn't you? Must have been a bit…" I smirked, reaching up and touching his lips, "_distracting_." I giggled.

He pushed me, "You know what? Go ahead. _Go_. I don't fuckin' care what happens to you."

"Did I hurt your feelings?" I said sharply, as he walked past me pushing me again, I followed after him, "_Good_. God, I don't even know why the hell I'm here, because you just," I stopped myself short, growling out in frustration and yelling, "You just _piss_ me off!"

"Really?" he said, turning around and walking back towards me, "Why's that? What the _hell_ did I do to you?"

I felt my hands clench, "I don't _know_!" I shut my eyes, and looking away from him. I was just so _mad_! So, so incredibly mad! And I didn't know what to do with all this anger.

I guess I could blame the blood for doing this to me, making me overreact. But I couldn't blame it for leading me here. And I couldn't blame it for the single, horrible fact that even though I had the urge to punch Sam's face in, I really wanted to kiss him, too. But I suppose my over-emotional personality would only be further hurt by the intense amplification of _V_, so no matter what I was feeling, I was almost always going to be contradicting myself. And therefore driving myself crazy.

"You're the one who doesn't fucking _trust_ me!" I yelled, "I mean, what the hell did I do that shows you I'm anything _not_ to be trusted!"

"You fuckin' lied!" he yelled, "About everything! I don't even know who the hell you are!"

"Then how the _hell_ could you love me?" I shouted, shaking my head and cursing under my breath.

"I was obviously wrong, wasn't I?" he said coldly.

I shut my eyes, "Obviously."

"Why the fuck are you here, then?" he asked, "Just to tell me I was wrong?"

"I don't know," I said, "I didn't even want to talk to you."

"Of course not," he said, "You're too _bad_ for me. I don't understand you. You know what, Addie? You're just some overdramatic _child_ who whines whenever somethin' doesn't go her way. You don't want me to accept you, and if I get mad about something, you get all pissed off! You never wanted to be with me, I should have seen it from the beginning. You just used me to make yourself feel better, than ran off to your _real_ boyfriend."

I shook my head, "You really think I'm that shallow? That I would just _use_ you?"

"He calls you every night. You care more about what he thinks than anyone else you know. You stick up for him even though he's a fuckin' _murderer_! He forces you to make a _joke_ of what you are. And now he has you juiced up to fall in love with him!"

"I asked him not to!" I shouted, "He did it of his own accord. I would have died if he didn't. He _saved_ me, Sam. But I'm never gonna fall in love with him, you moron."

"Right," he said, "It's not like you'll ever be able to admit that anyway." He laughed bitterly, "And he'll definitely never love ya' back. But I'm sure you'll be happy fuckin' him anyway."

"You're a bastard," I snapped, "I'm not gonna _fall_ for him, because I…" I promptly ended that sentence and began another, "Look, it doesn't matter, because this isn't going to work out anyway. I shouldn't have ever done anything, I should have known better. We shouldn't be together. It'll only cause us both more heartache."

"As if you were even _affected_. You never gave a shit about me. Sookie was right when she told me to stay away from you, _I_ should have listened to her. As soon as I found out who you worked for was the end of this relationship."

"That was not the end of our relationship," I said, scathingly, "_This_ is the end of our relationship. You are an asshole. I…" I could feel myself starting to get all worked up, "I can't do this, with you. I obviously can't change your mind. You don't listen to me, you don't trust me, and you sure as hell don't love me, no matter what you said. So, this isn't worth it. I can't keep stressing out about you anymore. I am _not_ crying over you again. So fuck you. I'm gone."

"You're gonna make _me_ feel like shit about this?" He said, laughing at the irony. Even I could appreciate the fact that he did, out of the two of us, have more reason to dump _me_. But, I was much too angry to see that.

"I thought you wanted us over," I said simply, "There you go. We are over." I turned.

He was quiet for a moment, letting me walk far enough out of the tree's cover to feel the rain again, "You cried?" he asked, "I made you cry?"

"You're going to do it again if you don't let me leave," I said angrily, "I'm not apologizing for what I did. I am not sorry I lied. I am not sorry about what I do, and who I work for, and who I am. If you can't accept me, then _fuck you_. I'm done."

_Ugh_. I loved him. I did. I didn't want to, but I did. It was kind of like the way Lafayette felt about chocolate. He loved it to death, but knew that if he ever took a bite he'd want to slap himself because,  
"that shit goes _straight_ to my motherfuckin' thighs, hooka!"

But I couldn't tell Sam how I felt. There was no way that was a good idea. I mean, he was already pissed, now would be the perfect time for a nice, clean break so I can get on working to save up enough money to retire in my thirties.

Sam was the one thing around here that actually made me feel _alive_, not just some weird facet of the living dead. But I was much too scared to tell him that, because I could only imagine everything going great for a while, and then blowing up in my face because we simply couldn't _work_. We were too different on certain issues… like vampires, and dealing drugs, and issues _normal_ people don't usually even care about.

But they mattered, and I knew that this was just the beginning of a long string of stupid fights until we became one of those horrible couples who hated the mere sight of each other. And I didn't ever want to hate Sam.

And I _really_ didn't want to have him come to his senses and dump me because he finally realizes that this isn't going to work. I don't think I could deal with that sort of break-up. God, I am such a wimp.

"Fine," he said, starting towards his car.

I was walking with purpose, but also trying not to slip in the slick, wet grass, so I wasn't going very quickly. Sam had turned around, apparently, and ran after me, "Addie!"

"What?" I said, exasperated, and feeling on the verge of tears yet again. Fuck, I hated Eric for doing this to me.

He grabbed my hand, "Come on, I'll take you home. If you stay out like that," He nodded to the dress, "You'll get sick."

"Thanks for the concern, but I'll be okay," I said, moving to turn around, but his grip on my hand tightened. I frowned, his hand was so warm, and I felt so cold and clammy in comparison. "Let go."

"No, you've already almost died once in the last twenty-four hours, you can handle a car ride with me," he tried to make it a joke, but I was still frowning, "Please, Ads, it's ten minutes away in a _car_."

I sighed, "Fine." I let go of his hand, walking to his car and getting in the passenger seat, automatically staring out the window and feeling totally uncomfortable and embarrassed and awkward and any other shitty emotion I possibly could.

He was too nice. That was one of his problems. He shouldn't be taking me home, but I, with my cute little (now skin-tight) dress, and my big brown eyes obviously hit that part of him that makes him unable to just forget about me. He does the same thing with Sookie. And he'll do the same thing with the next girl.

I felt a lump form in my throat with that, and kept my gaze locked out the window, trying to stop myself from shivering.

"Why the hell are you wearin' that, anyway?"

"I wanted to look pretty for you," I muttered sarcastically, and then relented, "Jessica gave it to me last night, because it would fit. I never changed, obviously."

He nodded, "Why did you have to change?"

"_Surprisingly_, being a vampire's dinner causes a big mess. Bill's bathroom was _covered_ in blood."

"Yours?"

"Who else's?" I asked, looking at him like he was stupid, but feeling my expression change a bit as he messed with his hair, trying to shake the water from it as we waited for a car to pass us so he could turn out of the bar's parking lot.

"I'm glad you're not dead," he said, glancing over at me before he turned the steering wheel.

I smiled a little, "I suppose I am, too." My eyes veered back towards him, lingering at his collar, slid to the slide a little because of the rain, revealing the spot where his neck met his shoulder. I bit my lip as I kept re-picturing trailing my mouth along that spot, until I slid forward and examined the inside of the car to keep myself occupied.

I slid my hands by the side of my seat, hitting the lever that pulls the seat back and catching myself before he could tell I found said lever, effectively side-stepping embarrassment. I found a couple of pieces of paper in the side compartments, but nothing of value. Opening the glove compartment, I caught Sam's attention, "What are you doing?"

"Snooping," I said with a grin, pulling out a shirt and raising an eyebrow, "Clothes?"

"You've never had your clothes stolen before?" he asked, "Seriously?"

I giggled, "Nope. But I always hide mine, for obvious reasons." I kept looking in the drawer, humming to the Journey song currently playing on the radio. "I have purposefully left my clothes behind, but that just because a couple of drainers were chasin' me outta Hot Shot," I shrugged.

"Of course," he said, laughing a little. I continued looking through his glove compartment, sliding my seatbelt over my shoulder. He continued driving, listening to me hum and shift through his things, without necessarily caring. Maybe he was just happy we weren't yelling anymore. After all, he was trying to do something _nice_ for me, and I was taking it rather well. Until I glanced back over at him, and he was glancing over at me, and I looked forward, and he did as well, and it was just awkward. But, once again, I blamed the blood for that interaction, and also for my sudden need to look up and bite my lip.

"Pull over," I said, glancing at him a little uneasily.

"Why?" He asked, "We're like two minutes away."

"Pull. Over." I smiled a little, feeling a bit more confident, unbuckling my seat belt as he did as I asked, soon putting the car in park and looking at me, confused.

"_Yes_?" he asked, and I shut the glove compartment, turning and kissing him, hard.

He pulled back a little, giving a nervous laugh before asking, "What ya' doin'?"

Sighing, I said simply, "No idea," and kissed him again, sliding forward and wrapping a hand around his neck.

"What happened to 'we're over'? Splittin's for the best? _Fuck you?_" he asked, breaking our kiss once more, "I thought you weren't apologizing?"

"I'm not," I leaned over and pulled the lever to push his seat back, pulling him up yet again and pressing my lips to his, "We _should_ break up, but, as you so expressively stated," I slid onto his lap, grabbing the condom I found in his glove compartment with a smirk, "Eric _does_ have me all _juiced up_. You are so eloquent, I think that's what drew me to ya'," I kissed him again, gently once more, and then tentatively deeping the kiss, running my tongue across his upper lip to better coax his mouth open. "And, _jesus_," My hands slid to his collar, unhooking the first button of his shirt, "You are so damn cute when you're angry."

He laughed, and I could feel the movement of his chest and the quick rush of his hot breath against my lips. I smiled into the kiss, my grip on his shirt tightening as I felt my head cloud, blood draining to my core as my body grew hotter. My lips felt like they were on fire, each touch lighting them anew and leaving me searching deeper, more fervently.

He roughly slid his hands up the skirt of my dress, pulling my hips forward before planting his hands on my ass. I unhooked our lips and kissed down his neck, the feel of his scruff against my anxious mouth made my ears buzz. I unbuckled his belt, and he pushed my hands out of the way, looking back up at me once more, "Somethin's telling me this isn't the greatest idea, Ads." He moved his head to catch my lips, despite his previous sentiment, and I bent to kiss him back, unable to fight the grin on my face.

"Sam, I…" I shut my eyes, opening them quickly and looking at him determinedly, "I _really_ like you, even if you're kind of a dick, and I'm not… you know," I said, leaning in and pressing my lips against his, "Do you understand?"

I looked down again, pausing even though I had this feeling that he would understand whatever it was I was trying to say, even if I totally didn't. He was a lot better at understanding me than I was, I'd decided, it was like some instinctual thing. He just _knew_ shit. Not like Sookie did, of course, but he had this thing about him, like he could just tell what was up. Maybe it was a dog thing. I wasn't sure.

I was sure that I still couldn't stop smiling. I felt like I'd just divulged a secret, one that made me both giddy and simultaneously hot. It was kind of exciting, and at the same time, sweet, something tiny in between the two of us, that no one else knew. And even if I hadn't gone full-blown with my confession, I nearly had, which was enough for Sam, because he took about a second to pull me down to him once again and kiss me fiercely. Heat fizzled through me, pooling down between my legs. My hips slid far enough forwards that the seam of his jeans pressed against my throbbing center the friction caused by the contact nearly driving me insane on its own, and the feeling of his excitement beneath me only furthered my impatience. I pulled back once again, using the slight space between us to undo his pants.

He grabbed the condom I'd found in his glove compartment and melded our mouths yet again, soon muttering a, "Head," in a slightly cryptic attempt to keep me aware of how close I was to the roof of the car, and helped me quickly slide onto him in one swift motion. I'd felt lightheaded for a moment, as if everything around me was moving much faster than I could ever realize it, but that all came crashing down as he thrust upwards, as I braced my arm against the window, and the other on the chair's armrest and lifted myself to work against him, the movement was surprisingly easy, and each touch of our hips pushing him deeper inside me until the only thing I was truly comprehending was the constant sound of the rain hitting the car, monotonous yet methodical, and a heavy counterpart to the vague echo of the feral, frenzied sound of slightly angry, totally over-emotional, late-night car sex.

I'd pushed him back in order to give myself more room to push myself harder against him, the tension building in my lower half becoming more and more unbearable, but I didn't want the moment to end, and instead willed this moment to last as long as it possibly could.

His mouth moved to my neck, roughly grazing it. The feel made me gasp, as my grip tightened on the sides of the car until my knuckles were white, and my hands felt like they were mere milliseconds to cramping, but the feeling never actually arrived. "_Sam,_" I whispered, breath rough and quiet. Everything was so very quiet, now. Nothing except the intense pressure below me mattered, feeling so excellent and getting better and better. I came down over the edge so hard I could barely stop myself from falling against him, panting ridiculously loud and barely even registering he had followed my lead seamlessly.

I sat there for a moment, catching on to the end of the song playing on the radio with an almost effortless ease, as if I'd been subconsciously singing along this entire time. My, "_So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye_," had less oomph behind it as Freddie Mercury, but its simple breathy drawl had some merit. And the whispered sound effects as my head nodded to the drum beat was amusing enough to earn a laugh from my counterpart. I grinned, "_So you think you can love me and lay me to die_," my voice cracked a bit on that last part, but I was singing so quietly it didn't really matter. The radio was lower than I remembered, or maybe my ears had just become immune to all other sounds. "_Oh, baby, can't do this to me baby_," I giggled, "_Just gotta get out, just gotta get out, just gotta get right out of here_." More sound effects. More laughter from Sam, and he brought a hand up to my chin, turning my head and kissing me tenderly, making me involuntarily giggle yet again and kiss him back, lips barely touching his because my neck didn't want to stretch that far. After all, I felt like my body had turned into jell-o.

I moved pretty damn quick when I saw lights behind us. "Shit," I said loudly, sitting up quickly and trying to blink away that post-sex glaze from my eyes, losing my balance and falling back and hitting _something_, because lights began flashing everywhere causing me and Sam to both simultaneously flip out. I repeated my former, "Shit!" with much more intensity, and he said something like, "What the hell did you do?" That made me roll my eyes but Sam moving forward with me on his lap sent me directly into the steering wheel.

"What the fuck?" he yelled.

My eyes went wide, "That was _your_ fault!"

"Was not!"

"Yeah!" I said, nodding like I was speaking to a two-year-old, "It was."

"Well maybe jumping me in the driver's seat wasn't such a good idea, huh?" he growled.

I snorted, "As if you didn't enjoy it. Geez."

Then there was a knock on the window, effectively shutting us both up. We looked at each other, and then at the flashlight peering in at us. I began buttoning his shirt, doing so fast enough to even get a nod from an impressed Sam, who looked to Andy Bellafleur and said, "Uh, hey."

"Hi," I said meekly after him, feeling naked despite the fact that I was fully clothed.

Andy looked between the two of us with a look of obvious surprise, "Um… your hazard flashers are on," he pointed to the lights still going off around us, "You okay?"

"Fine," I said quickly, "It was an accident."

Sam nodded, "Yeah, total accident. The button to turn 'em off got stuck, but," he leaned forward, flicking it and then hitting it, as if that made a difference, "Fixed it."

I turned my head away from Andy to roll my eyes. The detective coughed once, "All right. I'm… I'm sorry to… uh… interrupt."

"Thanks Andy," Sam said, hitting my leg once he saw me trying my hardest to stifle my laughter.

"Yeah," he said simply, turning for a moment and then looking back at us, "I wouldn't make, uh… _this_ a casual thing. Just sayin'."

"I think we learned our lesson," he said, nodding towards him, and then pushing me off him and into the passenger seat, "_That_ was your fault."

I turned, situating myself and grabbing my seat belt, "You could've said no," I shrugged, pulling the belt across me, buckling it.

"Like that was even an _option_," he said, "You are gorgeous, and _very_ persistent."

"Yeah, I guess that's true," I conceded with a grin.

He started the car, finally moving to complete our drive to Lafayette's. "So," he said, "We're cool?"

I laughed, "I don't think we're ever going to be completely cool, Sam." There was a lot of truth to that. I knew we wouldn't be able to go very long without another fight, considering our circumstances. But just because we knew how to make the other effectively pissed off, and were kind of good at doing said action, didn't mean this couldn't _work_. We'd just be one of those couples who fought and fucked and _loved each other_. Sounds cute, don't it?

Looking back over at him, I smiled a little, "But I kind of like it that way. We'll never get bored."

He pulled up in front of Lafayette's, and we both said goodbye. I got out of the car, took a few steps towards the door, and then decided to run around and knock on his window, as he rolled it down. "What?" he asked, "Forget something?" he looked to the passenger seat, and I rolled my eyes.

"I love you." Pause. It was like the world froze for a moment to rub my face in the fact that that did _not_ feel like such a big deal. At all. Why did I have to be such a girl about this shit?

Sam's snarky answer made me want to punch his face in, "I know."

"That's not what you're supposed to say," I enlightened him, "Customarily, a different phrase usually follows such a statement."

He laughed, "That's what you get, Addie," he put the car in reverse, "See you tomorrow?"

"Oh you _suck_!" I yelled, as he started backing up, grinning.

"Don't be late!" he yelled back, "You should have called tonight, by the way. We could've used ya!"

I looked down, grabbing my now sopping remains of my clothes, fishing my phone out of the mess and jogging up to the door, thankful it was unlocked as I opened it. I moved to the back to find the washer, dumping my clothes inside and fishing around for a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, anything other than this dress that was mercilessly clinging to my skin. Peeling that off was incredibly uncomfortable, like taking off a damp swimsuit, and I'd never thought I'd enjoy the feel of clean clothes more ever again.

I'd made my way back to the couch, falling against it and looking up at the ceiling, smiling.

* * *

I had mixed feelings about Tara. Lafayette was constantly telling me to be nice to her, considering she'd just lost her boyfriend and all that. I hadn't been around here all that long, and had never seen the girl smile, so I wasn't sure how _not_ to be nice to her.

I'm not good with sad people. Crying freaks me out, and Tara also happened to get rather _rude_ when she was upset. Which is why she snapped at me when I'd stepped behind the bar, asking me first who I was, and secondly what I was doing here. Not in those exact _words_, but you get my drift, right?

"Adelyn," Lafayette answered for me, "She's been the one covering for yo' lazy ass."

I gave Lafayette a stern glance that said, "Stop talking, it'll yell at me," without my actually _saying_ those words. Of course, it did nothing at all.

"You're fuckin' Sam?" she asked, looking at me as if she didn't believe this statement.

I turned abruptly, "Who told you _that_?"

"I don't know which of ya'll could do better," she said, "But somethin' about that just don't seem right."

She never answered my question, so I looked over to Lafayette, "I didn't say a word, girl."

"Everyone's _fuckin'_ around here," she muttered, "'cept me, of course. I'm doomed to spend the rest of my damn shell of a life alone," she reached for the Vodka in front of me and poured it into a glass, taking a swig while closing her eyes, "_Fuck me_."

I looked down, eyes wide. Of course, the almost pathetic state of Tara was not something I should concern myself with, so I sighed, and wiped a couple of glasses before the first few customers worked their way in.

Ignoring Tara was no easy feat, but I felt as though I was doing it well enough. I'd almost forgotten she was there until Sam made his way to the bar and tried to get her to stop drinking all the booze, which made sense to me. She got angry, he ended up sending her home, Sookie volunteering to drive her back to their house.

Sam looked over to me after the argument, which I only half-listened to, because I really didn't care nor did I view it as any of my business, and said, "She's usually not so…"

"Down?" I offered, "Can't blame her, I suppose."

"It's been a long time, though, hasn't it? That happened just before you showed up here."

I shrugged, "It hasn't been all _that_ long. From what I hear, she's been going through cycles, and now it's all bad again."

"Well, maybe it's good for her, you know?" he asked, "Like now, she can finally move on. A new phase. Change."

"Everyone around here could use a change," I mumbled, "No time like the present, right?"

He nodded thoughtfully, looking over at me and saying, "You're right."

I grinned, when my phone buzzed in my pocket, begging for my attention. "Hello," I said, answering the call from Ginger, the girl who ran the bar during the day. Though I doubt 'ran' would be the right word.

"Adelyn?" she said loudly, "Is that you?"

"Yeah, Ginger, you called me," I said slowly, turning away from the bar, "Everythin' okay?"

"I don't know what to do!" she yelled, "It's all so much, and I don't know what to do!"

"Calm down," I said, as she continued her string of panicked phrases, and I repeated myself yet again before saying, "What's wrong?"

"_The bar's on fire!_"

Fuck.

* * *

**Okay! That's all for this chapter. It's probably one of the longest I've ever written, and I hope that makes you happy.**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**So, next chapter will be chock-full of action, and we're nearing this story's completion. I know, it's sad. **_**I will be adding season three goodies**_**, but not too many because I don't want that plot interfering with mine.**

**The most important part of this A/N is the following: **_**I will probably write a sequel for this story**_**. I have ideas for a good follow-up story, with less romance and more action. It'll still feature Adelyn, in all her glory. If that's something you would be interested in reading, sound off in a review! If not, sound off in a review anyway!**

**END OF AUTHOR'S NOTE!**

**Now, drop a review! I wrote over 11,000 words for you! You can throw a few my way!**

**Besides, reviews brighten my day. :)**

**Oh, and I really hope you can appreciate the cleverness of my chapter title. It made me giggle.**


End file.
